Tycoon comes from Japanese taikun. English transferred a title into a word for a powerful business figure. The social setting changed while the idea of a person with substantial power remained useful.
tycoon
A wealthy and powerful business figure.
Tycoon came from Japanese.
How tycoon reached English
oldest firstSimplified path. The puzzle showed the main steps; the full route is being checked.
Japanese
taikun
‘A title of authority’
into English
English
tycoon
‘A powerful business figure’
The story of tycoon
Related
Titles can become general descriptions after crossing a language boundary.