baron
bar.on \'bar-*n\ n [ME, fr. OF, of Gmc origin; akin to OHG baro freeman] 1a: one of a class of tenants holding chiefly by military or other honorabl e service directly from a feudal superior (as a king) 1b: a lord of the realm : NOBLE, PEER 2a: a member of the lowest grade of the peerage in Great Britain 2b: a nobleman on the continent of Europe of varying rank 2c: a member of the lowest order of nobility in Japan 3: a man of great or overweening power or influence in some field of activi ty
Webster's English Dictionary