1. A governor in India under the Mogul Empire. Also called nawab.
2. A person of wealth and prominence.

[Hindi nawāb, nabāb, from Arabic nuwwāb, pl. of nā'ib, deputy.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.