Saturday, March 7, 2015

Word of the Day (March 07, 2015)

Word of the Day

Despot – (n.) a ruler who has total power and who often uses that power in cruel and unfair ways

Example: “Ferdinand Marcos was one of the few Filipino despots in history.”

Origin: Middle French despote, from Greek despotes master, lord, autocrat, from des- (akin to domos house) + -potes (akin to posis husband); akin to Sanskrit dampati lord of the house – more at dome, potent.
First use: 1585


(Reference: Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Dictionary Application. Merriam-Webster Inc., 2005)

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