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Dictionary Language resources

despot

Pronunciation: /ˈdɛspɒt/

Translate despot | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

Definition of despot

noun

a ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way.

Origin:

mid 16th century: from French despote, via medieval Latin from Greek despotēs 'master, absolute ruler'. Originally (after the Turkish conquest of Constantinople) the term denoted a minor Christian ruler under the Turkish empire. The current sense dates from the late 18th century