There appears to be some disagreement/confusion about the precise meaning of
セレブ - some dictionaries claim that セレブ means the same thing as English
"celebrity", while others claim that it just means "rich person".

[デジタル大辞泉](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/125423/m0u/%E3%82%BB%E3%83%AC%E3%83%96/)
basically says it means the same as "celebrity" - a famous person.

> 著名人。名士。セレブリティー。

[語源由来辞典](http://gogen-allguide.com/se/celeb.html) suggests that while it _can_
mean "famous person", it is also frequently used to refer to a "beautiful
woman" or a "rich person".

> セレブとは、名士。有名人。女性誌などでは、知名度に関係なく、美しく優雅で知的な女性を意味したり、お金持ちをさすことが多い。

The explanation on [Japanese
Wikipedia](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%BB%E3%83%AC%E3%83%96) also says
that セレブ implies things like "rich", "refined", and "posh" (albeit this
section lacks sources).

> 日本のテレビや雑誌メディアはセレブと略し、金持ち、優雅な、高級な、などの意味合いで使用している。

Given that this word is a relatively recent import from English (late '90s,
according to 語源由来辞典), I'm guessing that there's still some variation in the
way it's used. In any case, what I would like to know is - how is セレブ
typically used these days? Does it mean "celebrity", or does it mean "rich
person", or can it mean both, or what?
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2014-05-15T06:53:57.663
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question
meaning loanwords
What does セレブ mean these days?
セレブ has a lot of meanings/feelings. Rich person, person who wears expensive
accessories, person who is just famous, etc.

For example, I called a friend セレブ when he bought an expensive watch:

```

    Friend> "10[万円]{まんえん}の[腕時計]{うでどけい}[買]{か}ったんだ。" (I bought a watch that costs 100,000-yen.)
    
    Me> "へえ、お[前]{まえ}セレブだなあ。" (Oh, you're セレブ, dude.)
    
```

The original English word "celebrity" means a famous person, you know, while
it doesn't mean "rich people".

Why セレブ means "rich person" is, I think, because most of "celebrities" seen in
television look so rich and wear expensive accessories. (e.g. Movie
actors/actresses)
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answer