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tyrant

 - 3 dictionary results

ty⋅rant

  [tahy-ruhnt]
Use tyrant in a Sentence
–noun
1. a sovereign or other ruler who uses power oppressively or unjustly.
2. any person in a position of authority who exercises power oppressively or despotically.
3. a tyrannical or compulsory influence.
4. an absolute ruler, esp. one in ancient Greece or Sicily.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME tirant < OF < L tyrannus < Gk týrannos

Synonyms:
1. despot, autocrat, dictator.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tyrant
ty·rant   (tī'rənt)   
n.  

  1. An absolute ruler who governs without restrictions.

  2. A ruler who exercises power in a harsh, cruel manner.

  3. An oppressive, harsh, arbitrary person.


[Middle English, from Old French, alteration of tyran, from Latin tyrannus, from Greek turannos.]
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

tyrant 
1297, "absolute ruler," from O.Fr. tyrant (12c.), from L. tyrannus "lord, master, tyrant" (cf. Sp. tirano, It. tiranno), from Gk. tyrannos "lord, master, sovereign, absolute ruler," a loan-word from a language of Asia Minor (probably Lydian); cf. Etruscan Turan "mistress, lady" (surname of Venus).
"In the exact sense, a tyrant is an individual who arrogates to himself the royal authority without having a right to it. This is how the Greeks understood the word 'tyrant': they applied it indifferently to good and bad princes whose authority was not legitimate." [Rousseau, "The Social Contract"]
The spelling with -t arose in O.Fr. by analogy with prp. endings in -ant. Fem. form tyranness is recorded from 1590 (Spenser); cf. M.L. tyrannissa (1372).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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