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duce

[ doo-chey; Italian doo-che ]
/ ˈdu tʃeɪ; Italian ˈdu tʃɛ /
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noun, plural du·ces, du·ci [doo-chee]. /ˈdu tʃi/.

a leader or dictator.
il Duce [eel -doo-chey; Italian eel -doo-che]. /il ˈdu tʃeɪ; Italian il ˈdu tʃɛ/. the leader: applied especially to Benito Mussolini as head of the fascist Italian state.

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Origin of duce

First recorded in 1920–25; from Italian, from Medieval Latin dux (genitive ducis ), Latin: “leader”; cf. duke, dux

Words nearby duce

ducally, Ducasse, ducat, ducatoon, Duccio di Buoninsegna, duce, du Cerceau, duces tecum, Du Chaillu, Duchamp, Duchamp-Villon
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

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British Dictionary definitions for duce (1 of 2)

duce
/ (ˈduːtʃɪ, Italian ˈduːtʃe) /

noun

leader

Word Origin for duce

C20: from Italian, from Latin dux

British Dictionary definitions for duce (2 of 2)

Duce
/ (Italian ˈduːtʃe) /

noun

Il Duce (il) the title assumed by Benito Mussolini as leader of Fascist Italy (1922–43)
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
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