millionaire (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Laurence Horn]

On Apr 17, 2012, at 10:34 AM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC wrote:

> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf Of
>> Baker, John
>> Sent: Monday, April 16, 2012 6:30 PM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Re: millionaire (UNCLASSIFIED)
>>
>>       Somewhat more surprisingly, English lacks a common word
> meaning "a
>> wealthy individual."
>
> Tycoon
>
> Also magnate, plutocrat

These aren't the same.  A rich, lazy playboy can be a millionaire/one-percenter without being a magnate, or a tycoon, or a plutocrat.  I think you have to be not only rich but a boss in some sense to be one of those.  And FWIW, I wouldn't call Bill Gates a plutocrat, although this may be more of a connotation thing, since he's certainly a boss.  But his offspring, if any, would certainly be very very rich, but not obviously plutocrats or tycoons.  Or think of the Rockefeller offspring.

LH

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