potentate
pronunciation
How to pronounce potentate in British English:
UK [ˈpəʊtnteɪt]
How to pronounce potentate in American English:
US [ˈpoʊtnteɪt]
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- Noun:
- a ruler who is unconstrained by law
Word Origin
- 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).
Example
- 1. He was a local potentate in sumatra the indonesian island that cuts like a scimitar through the eastern indian ocean separating it from the strait of malacca .
- 2. It is scarcely possible to exaggerate the influence of vanity throughout the range of human life from the child of three to the potentate at whose frown the world trembles .