duce

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

duce

Wikipedia

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian duce. Doublet of duke.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈduːtʃeɪ/

Noun

duce (usually uncountable, plural duci)

1. (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini

Translations

Italian

Italian Wikipedia has an article on:

duce

Wikipedia ^it

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ducem (“leader”), from the nomen agentis form of Proto-Indo-European *dewk-, whence also dūcō (“to lead”). Compare the likewise borrowed doublets duca and doge.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdu.t͡ʃe/
• Rhymes: -utʃe
• Hyphenation: dù‧ce

Noun

duce m (plural duci)

1. (archaic or literary) captain, leader, helm

   Synonyms: capitano, capo, condottiero

2. (by extension, after the Fascist era) an authoritarian leader

   Synonyms: autocrate, despota, dittatore, oppressore, tiranno

Derived terms

• Duce

Related terms

• ducato

Latin

Verb

dūce

1. Alternative form of dūc (“lead!, guide!”), second-person singular present active imperative of dūcō.

Usage notes

While common in Plautus, dūc is the far more common variant in the classical period.

Noun

duce

1. ablative singular of dux

Old English

Etymology

From the original meaning of "diver," from Proto-West Germanic *dūkan (“to duck, dive”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈduː.ke/, /ˈdu.ke/

Noun

dū̆ce f

1. duck (bird)

   Synonym: ened

Declension

Descendants

• Middle English: doke, ducke, dukke, dokke, douke, duke
  • English: duck
  • Scots: duik, deuk, dook
  • Yola: duucks (plural)

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdu.t͡ʃe/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ut͡ʃe
• Hyphenation: du‧ce

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin dūcere, present active infinitive of dūcō, from Proto-Italic *doukō, from Proto-Indo-European *déwketi, from the root *dewk-.

Verb

a duce (third-person singular present duce, past participle dus) 3rd conj.

1. (transitive) to carry, lead, take

   Trebuie să fie duși copiii la școală.

   The children must be taken to school.

2. (intransitive) to lead, to go

   Drumul ăsta duce la casa mea.

   This road leads to my house.

3. (reflexive) to go

   Mă duc acasă. ― I’m going home.

4. (reflexive, figuratively) to die
5. (transitive or intransitive; mildly informal) to withstand, handle, weather, deal with

   O să-ți dau de lucru de să nu poți duce.

   I’ll give you so much to do that you won’t be able to take it.

Usage notes

The negative imperative is known to always be identical to the infinitive. However, like many of the verbs with a short imperative, duce often does not follow this rule in colloquial usage, keeping the same form as the imperative: Nu (te) duce (prescribed); nu (te) du (common in practice).

The same applies to the derived verbs.

Conjugation

Derived terms

• ducă
• duce de nas
• ducere

Related terms

See also

• a merge
• a pleca
• a căra

Etymology 2

Modified, to be adapted to the Latin, from the older form ducă, itself from Italian duca, and partly through Byzantine Greek δούκα (doúka), ultimately from Latin dux, ducem.

Alternative forms

• ducă — archaic

Noun

duce m (plural duci)

2. duke

Declension

References