Mogul
/ˈmoʊ.ɡəl/noun
A very powerful or influential person, especially in business or media.
Did you know?English *mogul* comes through Urdu and Persian from *Mughal*, the Persian form of *Mongol*—so the word for a modern tycoon is historically linked to the great steppe empire that once shook Asia.
Etymological Timeline
13th Century
Persian
Mughul / Mughal
“A Mongol; later specifically a member of the Mughal dynasty in India”
14th Century
Persian
Mughul
“Used for Mongol peoples and rulers in Islamic and South Asian contexts”
16th Century
Urdu
Mug̱hal
“The Mughal emperors and their empire in India”
17th Century
English
mogul
“An emperor or ruler of the Mughal dynasty”
19th Century
English
mogul
“A powerful or important person, especially in business”