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Definition of potentate - 3 dictionary results

po⋅ten⋅tate

  [poht-n-teyt]
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–noun
a person who possesses great power, as a sovereign, monarch, or ruler.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < LL potentātus potentate, L: power, dominion. See potent 1 , -ate 3
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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po·ten·tate   (pōt'n-tāt')   
n.  

  1. One who has the power and position to rule over others; a monarch.

  2. One who dominates or leads a group or an endeavor: industrial potentates.


[Middle English potentat, from Old French, from Late Latin potentātus, from Latin, power, from potēns, present participle of posse, to be able; see potent.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

potentate 
c.1400, from L.L. potentatus "a ruler," also "political power," from L. potentatus "power, dominion," from potentem (nom. potens) "powerful" (see potent).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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