duce

Borrowed from Italian duce. Doublet of duke.

• IPA^(key): /ˈduːtʃeɪ/

duce (usually uncountable, plural duci)

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

Borrowed from Latin dux, ducem (“leader”). Compare the likewise borrowed doublets duca and doge.

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

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

• Duce

• ducato

dūce

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

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

duce

1. ablative singular of dux

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈduː.ke/, /ˈdu.ke/

dū̆ce f

1. duck (bird)

   Synonym: ened

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈdu.t͡ʃe/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ut͡ʃe
• Hyphenation: du‧ce

Inherited from Latin dūcere,[1] present active infinitive of dūcō, from Proto-Italic *doukō, from Proto-Indo-European *déwketi, from the root *dewk-.

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.

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).[2]

The same applies to the derived verbs.

• ducă
• duce de nas
• ducere

• a merge
• a pleca
• a căra

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.

• ducă — archaic

duce m (plural duci)

1. duke