despot

American  

[des-puht, -pot] / ˈdɛs pət, -pɒt /

noun

1. a king or other ruler with absolute, unlimited power; autocrat.

2. any tyrant or oppressor.

3. History/Historical. an honorary title applied to a Byzantine emperor, afterward to members of his family, and later to Byzantine vassal rulers and governors.

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despot British  

/ dɛsˈpɒtɪk, ˈdɛspɒt /

noun

1. an absolute or tyrannical ruler; autocrat or tyrant

2. any person in power who acts tyrannically

3. a title borne by numerous persons of rank in the later Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires

   the despot of Servia

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Other Word Forms

• despotic adjective
• despotically adverb

Etymology

Origin of despot

1555–65; < Greek despótēs master < *dems-pot- presumably, “master of the house,” equivalent to *dems-, akin to dómos house + pot-, base of pósis husband, spouse; hospodar, host ¹

Example Sentences

We aren’t in danger of being taken over by a despot.

From Salon

They are only a sticking point for would-be kings and despots who successfully deceive and subjugate the masses.

From Salon

“We will never let the evil will of a sad, malignant despot dictate how we treat one another,” said the Greyhound Bar & Grill in Highland Park.

From Los Angeles Times

Ben-Ghiat goes on to explain that this is often a way that despots exert power, observing:

From Salon

Some find him to be a joke, while minor and major despots look upon him in a combination of wonder and fellowship.

From Salon

Related Words

• autocrat
• oppressor
• tyrant