1425: baron Nov 5, 2018

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Over time, the meaning of words often reverses. These contranyms like 'liberal' and 'peruse' often goes unnoticed. 'Baron' is another of these terms. It originally referred to a type of lord in British nobility, but the term referred to the lowest order. Now, it doesn't refer to land-owning nobility, but instead a very important person in business. Not only has the connotation moved away from nobility, but a baron nowadays is by no means thought of as the lowest order in business, and is usually assigned to quite successful, influential people.

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