BARON

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German baro freeman Date: 13th century 1. one of a class of tenants holding his rights and title by military or other honorable service directly from a feudal superior (as a king), a lord of the realm ; noble , peer , 2. a member of the lowest grade of the peerage in Great Britain, a nobleman on the continent of Europe of varying rank, a member of the lowest order of nobility in Japan, a joint of meat consisting of two sirloins or loins and legs not cut apart at the backbone , a man who possesses great power or influence in some field of activity