grand seigneur
/ˌɡrɒ̃ seɪˈnjəː
/noun
A man whose rank or position allows him to command others.He is the grand seigneur who loftily told the Scott Inquiry (in the days when we had real inquiries): ‘You have to be selective about the facts.’...
- It was governed by a strict devout Catholic, the grand seigneur, Comte de Reynaud, who like his predecessors maintained a regimented way of life and imposed it on the resigned village people.
- There he was treated like the grand seigneur of contemporary music, and his quartet soon came to be regarded as the gem of the Festival.
Origin
French, literally 'great lord'.