DESPOT DEFINITIONS - 12 definitions found
despot n 1: a cruel and oppressive dictator [syn: tyrant, autocrat, despot] despot posted stoped despot 1562, "absolute ruler," from M.L. despota, from Gk. despotes "master of a household, lord, absolute ruler." Faintly pejorative in Gk., progressively moreso as used in various languages for Roman emperors, Christian rulers of Ottoman provinces, and Louis XVI during the French Revolution. Despotism (1727) is from Fr. despotisme. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) despot noun Etymology: Middle French despote, from Greek despotēs master, lord, autocrat, from des- (akin to domos house) + -potēs (akin to posis husband); akin to Sanskrit dampati lord of the house — more at dome, potent Date: 1585 1. a. a Byzantine emperor or prince b. a bishop or patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church c. an Italian hereditary prince or military leader during the Renaissance 2. a. a ruler with absolute power and authority b. a person exercising power tyrannically Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary despot (despots) A despot is a ruler or other person who has a lot of power and who uses it unfairly or cruelly. = tyrant, dictator N-COUNT English Explanatory Dictionary despot ˈdespɔt n. 1 an absolute ruler. 2 a tyrant or oppressor. øødespotic adj. despotically adv. [F despote f. med.L despota f. Gk despotes master, lord] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Despot \Des"pot\, n. [F. despote, LL. despotus, fr. Gr. despo`ths master, lord, the second part of which is akin to po`sis husband, and L. potens. See Potent.] 1. A master; a lord; especially, an absolute or irresponsible ruler or sovereign. Irresponsible power in human hands so naturally leads to it, that cruelty has become associated with despot and tyrant. --C. J. Smith. 2. One who rules regardless of a constitution or laws; a tyrant. Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms despot n. 1. Autocrat, dictator, absolute sovereign, absolute ruler. 2. Tyrant, oppressor, arbitrary or wilful ruler. English Explanatory Dictionary (Synonyms) despot ˈdespɔt n. absolute ruler, dictator, tyrant, oppressor, autocrat: History has painted Ivan the Terrible as one of the cruellest despots of all time. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 25 Moby Thesaurus words for "despot": Simon Legree, absolute monarch, absolute ruler, all-powerful ruler, arrogator, autarch, autocrat, caesar, commissar, czar, dictator, disciplinarian, driver, duce, hard master, martinet, oligarch, oppressor, pharaoh, slave driver, stickler, strong man, tyrant, usurper, warlord |
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