[dahy-nast, -nuh
st; Brit. also din-ast] 
| a ruler or potentate, esp. a hereditary ruler. |
| dy·nast (dī'nāst', -nəst) n. A ruler, especially a hereditary one. [Latin dynastēs, from Greek dunastēs, lord, from dunasthai, to be able; see deu-2 in Indo-European roots.] |