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In Medieval Spain and Portugal, the grandes ("great ones," from Latin grandis, meaning "great") were at the pinnacle of the ranks of rich and powerful nobles. A grandee (as it came to be spelled in English) could wear a hat in the presence of the king and queen—the height of privilege—and he alone could address a letter directly to royalty. (Even Christopher Columbus had to direct his reports of the New World to an important noble at court, who read them to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.) Today the term can still be applied to nobility, but it can also be used for anyone of importance and influence anywhere, such as the "pin-striped grandees of London's financial district."
Examples of grandee in a Sentence
The Editors, National Review, 10 Oct. 2024
Its deputy chairman is Peter Mandelson, a Labour grandee who has held multiple cabinet posts.
—Robert Olsen, Forbes, 8 Sep. 2024
Alongside this new threat, agent River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) and his grandfather David (Jonathan Pryce), a former MI5 grandee, both find themselves on the run from The Park and the group of mercenaries operating out of France.
—Ellie O'Mahoney, theweek, 6 Sep. 2024
For her part, Filler-Corn has backing from some state party grandees like former Gov. Ralph Northam and former state Attorney General Mark Herring.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 17 June 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near grandee
Cite this Entry
“Grandee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grandee. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
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grandee
noun
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