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potentate

/ˈpəʊ.tən.teɪt/ noun

Latin root: potentātus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about potentate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A ruler who is unconstrained by law.

Origin

From Middle English potentat, from Old French, from Late Latin potentātus (“rule, political power”), from Latin potēns (“powerful, strong”), the active present participle of possum (“to be able”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)