Definition of "fon"

Delt he not lyke a fon?Delt he not lyke a daw?

c. 1503–1512, John Skelton, Ware the Hauke; republished in John Scattergood, editor, John Skelton: The Complete English Poems, 1983, page 65, lines 128–129

Province-wide, the latter part of the 1990s witnessed considerable efforts by the regime to organize and activate a bloc of such financially dependent fons in the North West Elite Association (NWELA), […]

2008, Milton Krieger, Cameroon's Social Democratic Front, page 71

In the early 1900s, the Bafut fought several wars with the German colonizers and their allies, ending in 1907 with the exile of the fon of that time.

2010, Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon, page 53

Biya's volte-face became apparent in July 1990 when he, as president of the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) appointed Ganyonga and the fons of Mankon and Bafut into key positions of the party […]

2011, Society and Change in Bali Nyonga: Critical Perspectives, page 152