despot

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”).[1] Cognate with Sanskrit दम्पति (dámpati).

Pronunciation
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdɛs.pɒt/, /ˈdɛz.pɒt/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈdɛs.pət/
  • Audio (Canada)(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[sic] 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
Declension of despot
common
gender		 Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative despot despoten despoter despoterne
genitive despots despotens despoters despoternes

Synonyms

Derived terms

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Greek δεσπότης (despótis).

Noun

despot m (plural despoți)

  1. despot

Declension
Declension of despot
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) despot despotul (niște) despoți despoții
genitive/dative (unui) despot despotului (unor) despoți despoților
vocative despotule despoților

Serbo-Croatian

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

Noun

dèspot m (Cyrillic spelling дѐспот)

  1. despot

Declension
Declension of despot
singular plural
nominative despot despoti
genitive despota despota
dative despotu despotima
accusative despota despote
vocative despote despoti
locative despotu despotima
instrumental despotom despotima

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

Further reading
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