'tycoon' originates from Japanese, specifically the word 'taikun', where 'tai-' meant 'great' and '-kun' meant 'lord'.

'taikun' was adopted into English during the 19th century, initially used to refer to the shogun of Japan, and eventually became the modern English word 'tycoon'.

Initially, it meant 'great lord', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a wealthy and powerful businessperson'.