Added 1 October 2026
president
/ˈpɹɛz.ɪ.dənt/ noun
In Latin: praesidēns Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about president at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
The head of state of a republic, sometimes also the head of government as well, particularly the head of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States of America.
The vast majority of presidents have been male.
- A person presiding over a corporation, usually an executive overseeing daily operations under a chief executive officer but sometimes a separate position held by a CEO.
- A person presiding over a meeting.
adjective
verb
- To act as president; to do presidential duties.
noun
Origin
From Old French president, from Latin praesidēns (“presiding over; president, leader”) (accusative: praesidentem). The Latin word is the substantivized present active participle of the verb praesideō (“preside over”). The verb is composed from prae (“before”) and sedeō (“sit”). The original meaning of the verb is 'to sit before' in the sense of presiding at a meeting. A secondary meaning of the verb is 'to command, to govern'. So praesidēns means 'the presiding one on a meeting' or 'governor, commander'.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)