despot

[ des-puh t, -pot ]

/ ˈdɛs pət, -pɒt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR despot ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

any tyrant or oppressor.

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

Nearby words

despoil, despoliation, despond, despondency, despondent, despot, despotic, despotic monarchy, despotism, despumate, desquamate

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; cf. hospodar, host¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for despot

This is the sort of delusion that sets in when a despot confuses himself with the state after too long in power.
Putin’s Sochi and Hitler’s Berlin: The Love Affair Between Dictators and the Olympic Games.|Garry Kasparov|February 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hundreds have “martyred” themselves fighting Syrian despot Bashar al Assad.
The Coming of Al Qaeda 3.0|Bruce Riedel|August 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
From the start, we see him as he is: a despot and a swindler, a Dallas blue-blood with FBI ties, fleeing a violent past.
This Week’s Hot Reads, July 15, 2013|Sarah Stodola, Jen Vafidis, Damaris Colhoun|July 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This is the first time a Latin American despot has faced trial for such charges in his own country.
Trial of an American Ally: Ghosts of Foreign Policy Past in Guatemala|Constantino Diaz-Duran|March 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST

First she writes, “Obama refuses to draw the red line that will serve to stop the evil intentions of the Iranian despot.”
The Pro-Holocaust Vote|Amy Schiller|October 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Moreover, your subjects—for, to be candid, you are a despot—seem to like you.
Punch, Or The London Charivari, Vol. 101, July 11, 1891|Various
A despot always has his good moments; an assembly of despots never.
Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary|Voltaire
The same thing was attempted by Pelopidas, but the despot was too quick for him, and he perished without succeeding in his effort.
Plutarch's Lives, Volume II|Aubrey Stewart & George Long
Before the despot reached his castle, Tell had waylaid him and sent an arrow to his heart.
Letters from Switzerland|Samuel Irenus Prime
Mamercus now was forced to take refuge in Messina with Hippo, the despot there.
Plutarch's Lives, Volume I (of 4)|Plutarch

British Dictionary definitions for despot

despot

/ (ˈdɛspɒt) /

noun

an absolute or tyrannical ruler; autocrat or tyrant

any person in power who acts tyrannically

a title borne by numerous persons of rank in the later Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empiresthe despot of Servia

Derived Formsdespotic (dɛsˈpɒtɪk) or despotical, adjectivedespotically, adverb

Word Origin for despot

C16: from Medieval Latin despota, from Greek despotēs lord, master; related to Latin domus house

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for despot

despot

1560s, "absolute ruler," from Old French despot (14c.), from Medieval Latin despota, from Greek despotes "master of a household, lord, absolute ruler," from PIE *dems-pota-; for first element see domestic (adj.); second element cognate with Latin potis, potens (see potent).

Faintly pejorative in Greek, progressively more so as used in various languages for Roman emperors, Christian rulers of Ottoman provinces, and Louis XVI during the French Revolution. The female equivalent was despoina "lady, queen, mistress," source of the proper name Despina.

despot

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of despot

Examples from the Web for despot

British Dictionary definitions for despot

despot

noun

Word Origin for despot

Word Origin and History for despot

despot