merchant prince en · NOUN
Etymology
Under the influence of Isaiah 23:8, describing "Tyre... whose merchants are princes..."
Meanings
-
(figuratively, historical) A mercantile plutocrat: a man who wields great de facto political power by virtue of economic assets derived from trade and commerce.
...you’re establishing a plutocracy. You’re making us a land of traders and merchant princes. Then what of the future?
1951, Isaac Asimov, Foundation, Pt. V: “The Merchant Princes”, Ch. 18, p. 189The customs and duties paid by each ship, great or small, amount in the whole to 70 or 80 slaves. The king [sc. of Ardrah] has the first choice of goods, whether in the payment of duties, or in exchange for slaves; the hereditary prince the second, the merchant''' prince the third, the Marbut the fourth, and afterwards the great officers of the court.
1760, The Modern Part of an Universal History, Vol. XVI, Bk. xvii, Ch. vii, p. 466:
- (figuratively) A prince among merchants: a wealthy and influential merchant.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| merchant princes | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Hypernyms
ruler · businessman · merchant · prince
Synonyms
captain of industry (singularly successful businessman)