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A.Word.A.Day--rainmaker

rainmaker (RAYN-may-kuhr) noun

1. A person with a strong ability to bring in new business or produce results, especially through the use of influence, connections, etc.

2. One believed to be able to cause rain either by magic (for example, some native American groups) or by science (for example, by seeding the clouds with chemicals such as silver iodide from an airplane).

[From rain, from Middle English rein, from Old English regn, ren + maker, from make, from Middle English maken, from Old English macian.]

"Compared with other rainmakers of the late 1990s, Mr Fastow might not look so greedy." Prosecutor's dilemma, Enron And the Economics of Greed; The Economist (London); Aug 31, 2002.

"The Time-Warner-Paramount battle brought together a monsoon's worth of Wall Street rainmakers." Bill Saporito; The Inside Story of Time Warner; Fortune (New York); Nov 20, 1989.

This week's theme: words to describe people.

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