the word 'tycoon' entered english in the mid-19th century from japanese 'taikun', meaning "great lord or prince." the japanese term was itself a borrowing from middle chinese 'tai kiun' (太君), signifying "great sovereign." it was first used by foreigners to title the shogun of japan. american president abraham lincoln's cabinet humorously applied the title to him, and from this political usage, the term evolved in american english to describe any person of great power, eventually narrowing to its current primary meaning of a magnate in business or industry. the journey reflects a meaning shift from a political/military title to a metaphor for commercial power.

this is a loanword from japanese, which itself adapted it from a chinese term. it does not contain separable english morphemes.