Dictionary.com
definitions

potentate

[ poht-n-teyt ]
/ ˈpoʊt nˌteɪt /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR potentate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who possesses great power, as a sovereign, monarch, or ruler.

RELATED WORDS

despot, king, majesty, ruler, queen, autocrat, sovereign, empress, chief, royalty, dictator, chieftain, emperor, prince, leader, princess

Nearby words

  1. potemkin village,
  2. potemkin, grigori aleksandrovich,
  3. potence,
  4. potency,
  5. potent,
  6. potential,
  7. potential cautery,
  8. potential difference,
  9. potential divider,
  10. potential energy

Origin of potentate

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin potentātus potentate, Latin: power, dominion. See potent1, -ate3
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for potentate

British Dictionary definitions for potentate

potentate

/ (ˈpəʊtənˌteɪt) /

noun

a person who possesses great power or authority, esp a ruler or monarch

Word Origin for potentate

C14: from Late Latin potentātus ruler, from Latin: rule, command, from potens powerful, from posse to be able
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 potentate

potentate

n.

c.1400, from Old French potentat and directly from Late Latin potentatus "a ruler," also "political power," from Latin potentatus "might, power, rule, dominion," from potentem (nominative potens) "powerful" (see potent).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper