podesta
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English
Etymology
From Italian podesta, from Latin potestas (“power; powerful one”). Doublet of poustie. See potent.
Noun
podesta (plural podestas)
- (now historical) A chief magistrate of various Italian republics and city-states in the Middle Ages.
- 2022, Jane Stevenson, Siena, Head of Zeus, p. 65:
- Secular palaces, such as that of the Tolomei, were rented for municipal use, and officials such as the Podestà were found lodgings in others.
- 2022, Jane Stevenson, Siena, Head of Zeus, p. 65:
- (now historical) A municipal administrator during the Italian Fascist regime (1927–43).
- 1943, Iris Origo, War in Val d'Orcia, Pushkin Press, published 2017, page 131:
- M.B. herself is tormented by anxiety […] for her husband, who, as Podestà of this town, is likely soon to get into trouble.
Derived terms
Anagrams
Italian
Etymology
From Latin potestātem via the nominative form. Compare podestà, from the Latin accusative potestātem.
Pronunciation
Noun
podesta m or f (invariable)
Further reading
- podesta in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana