podesta
Americannoun
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any of certain magistrates in Italy, as a chief magistrate in medieval towns and republics.
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a person appointed to serve as mayor of an Italian city during the Fascist regime.
noun
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(in modern Italy) a subordinate magistrate in some towns
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(in Fascist Italy) the chief magistrate of a commune
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any of the governors of the Lombard cities appointed by Frederick Barbarossa
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a chief magistrate in any of various republics, such as Florence
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Etymology
Origin of podesta
1540–50; < Italian podestà power < Latin potestās power, command
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
D'Ucello, the podesta, came here the night of the uprising, looking for you and Lorenzo.
From The Saracen: The Holy War by Robert Shea
"But the Filippeschi deny any knowledge of him, and the podesta, it seems, has not the power to make them answer our questions."
From The Saracen: The Holy War by Robert Shea
The militia of Orvieto, thought Sophia, was under the command of the podesta.
From The Saracen: The Holy War by Robert Shea
The podesta left the dungeon, still holding the silver flask.
From The Saracen: The Holy War by Robert Shea
Evidently the podesta had given up on that.
From The Saracen: The Holy War by Robert Shea
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
