napoleon

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   historical: a French gold coin worth twenty francs, first issued under Napoleon I

   The bank stored several thousand napoleons in a lead-lined crate.

2. 2
   noun

   a layered pastry filled with custard or cream; a mille-feuille

   She ordered a napoleon filled with vanilla custard.

3. 3
   noun

   a person who dominates a field through exceptional ambition, ability, or ruthlessness

   The newspapers called the financier a napoleon of industry.

From French Napoleon, the name of Napoleon Bonaparte. The coin was named for the emperor whose portrait appeared on it; later rulers issued similar twenty-franc pieces. The name was extended to pastries and, figuratively, to a person who dominates a particular sphere.

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