millionaire (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Victor Steinbok]

I was going to mention plutocrat and, even more of a stretch, oligarch.
Both are, of course, more than just "wealthy people"--at least,
traditionally--but they are also socially marked. You see and hear these
from the left-leaning crowd, particularly liberal bloggers.

Tycoon and magnate have less to do with wealth than with corporate
control. Of course, there is an implication that he is wealthy as well
(and invariably male), but that's a secondary characteristic. Plutocrat
and oligarch are supposed to be implying some influence or participation
in the government, but there has been considerable drift there. I have
not noticed the same concerning "tycoon" and "magnate"--both are always
in reference to a corporate executive, something that cannot, for
example, be applied to Mitt Romney (I am not even sure he's a "former
tycoon" and he was never a "magnate").

     VS-)

On 4/17/2012 10:34 AM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC wrote:
>> -----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

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