ˈbarənē, -ni also ˈber- noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English baronie, from Old French, from baron baron + -ie -y — more at baron
1.
a. : the fee or domain of a baron
b. : the rank or dignity of a baron
2.
a. in Ireland : a division of a county roughly corresponding to an English hundred
b. in colonial So. Carolina : a large tract of land of 12,000 acres granted to a landgrave or cacique
c. in Scotland : an extensive freehold
3. : a vast or extensive private landholding
to operate and maintain this barony , the billionaire employed some 350 people — Andrew Tully
a cotton barony
4. : a region or field of activity under the unchecked or predominant control or sway of a single individual or family
the power of … the last of the nation's old-fashioned political baronies is perceptibly ebbing — Gladwin Hill