Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - baron

 noun  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German baro freeman  Date: 13th century  1.  a. 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)  b. a lord of the realm ; noble, peer  2.  a. a member of the lowest grade of the peerage in Great Britain  b. a nobleman on the continent of Europe of varying rank  c. a member of the lowest order of nobility in Japan  3. a joint of meat consisting of two sirloins or loins and legs not cut apart at the backbone a ~ of beef  4. a man who possesses great power or influence in some field of activity a cattle ~