Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “tycoon” come from?

tycoon (French) comes from English tycoon, from Japanese 大君, from Old Japanese 大, from Proto-Japonic əpə — big, large; many.

tycoon (French): tycoon, magnate

Definitions

  1. tycoon, magnate

Ancestry of “tycoon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtycoonA wealthy and powerful business person
2Japanese大君the emperor, His Majesty; a descendant of the...
3Old Japanese大big, large; large
4Proto-Japonicəpəbig, large; many
Every word from Proto-Japonic əpə →