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Where does the word "grandee" come from? It comes from Spanish grande, and was adopted directly into English (1590s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "grandee" come from? It comes from Spanish grande, and was adopted directly into English (1590s).
Grandee’s story begins in Spanish: grande meant “great.” Great; the 'Grandes de España' could keep their hats on before the king. It reached English by 1590s as grandee. The ending was reshaped as if it were English '-ee'. Today, grandee means a Spanish or Portuguese nobleman of the highest rank.
- Stage 1 · Spanish · medieval grande "great", great; the 'Grandes de España' could keep their hats on before the king.
- Stage 2 · English · 1590s grandee "great noble", the ending was reshaped as if it were English '-ee'.