despot

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See also: Despot

English

Etymology

From Middle French despote, from Old French despote, from Medieval Latin despota, from Ancient Greek δεσπότης (despótēs, lord, master, owner). Cognate with Sanskrit दम्पति (dámpati).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdɛs.pɒt/, /ˈdɛz.pɒt/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈdɛs.pət/
  • (file)

Noun

despot (plural despots)

  1. A ruler with absolute power; a tyrant.
    • 2009, Steven Rosefielde, Red Holocaust, page 240:
      The Red Holocaust is best interpreted in this light as the bitter fruit of an utopian gambit that was socially misengineered into a dystopic nightmare by despots in humanitarian disguise.
  2. (historical) A title awarded to senior members of the imperial family in the late Byzantine Empire, and claimed by various independent or semi-autonomous rulers in the Balkans (12th to 15th centuries)

Derived terms

Translations

References

  1. ^ Fortson, Benjamin W. (2004) Indo-European Language and Culture: An Introduction, first edition, Oxford: Blackwell

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δεσπότης (despótēs, lord, master).

Noun

despot c (singular definite despoten, plural indefinite despoter)

  1. despot

Inflection

Synonyms

Derived terms

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Greek δεσπότης (despótis).

Noun

despot m (plural despoți)

  1. despot

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /děspot/
  • Hyphenation: des‧pot

Noun

dèspot m (Cyrillic spelling дѐспот)

  1. despot

Declension

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δεσπότης (despótēs).

Noun

despot c

  1. despot

Declension

Declension of despot 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative despot despoten despoter despoterna
Genitive despots despotens despoters despoternas

Related terms

Further reading