magnate

[mag-neyt, -nit] /ˈmæg neɪt, -nɪt/
noun
1.
a person of great influence, importance, or standing in a particular enterprise, field of business, etc.:
a railroad magnate.
2.
a person of eminence or distinction in any field:
literary magnates.
3.
a member of the former upper house in either the Polish or Hungarian parliament.
Origin
1400-50; back formation from Middle English magnates (plural) < Late Latin magnātēs leading people, equivalent to Latin magn(us) magn- + -ātēs, plural of -ās noun suffix
Related forms
magnateship, noun
Can be confused
magnate, magnet.
Examples from the web for magnate
  • The television and airline magnate's latest bid to be seen as moderate, however, may have got the better of his business sense.
  • All things equal, the pizza magnate had a pretty good evening.
  • Steichen prepared for the shoot by having a janitor sit in for the magnate while he perfected the lighting.
  • After that he became a real-estate magnate, a media mogul, and then prime minister.
  • After seeing a population boom in the late sixties, the farmland began its ascension toward industry magnate.
British Dictionary definitions for magnate

magnate

/ˈmæɡneɪt; -nɪt/
noun
1.
a person of power and rank in any sphere, esp in industry
2.
(history) a great nobleman
3.
(formerly) a member of the upper chamber in certain European parliaments, as in Hungary
Derived Forms
magnateship, noun
Word Origin
C15: back formation from earlier magnates from Late Latin: great men, plural of magnās, from Latin magnus great
Word Origin and History for magnate
n.

mid-15c., "great man, noble, man of wealth," from Late Latin magnates, plural of magnas "great person, nobleman," from Latin magnus "great, large, big" (of size), "abundant" (of quantity), "great, considerable" (of value), "strong, powerful" (of force); of persons, "elder, aged," also, figuratively, "great, mighty, grand, important," from PIE *mag-no-, from root *meg- "great" (cf. Sanskrit maha-, mahat- "great;" Greek megas, fem. megale "great, large;" Gothic mikils, Old English micel "great, big, many;" see mickle).