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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, especially one in ancient Greece or Sicily.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English tirant < Old French < Latin tyrannus < Greek týrannos
1250–1300; Middle English tirant < Old French < Latin tyrannus < Greek týrannos
Related forms
un·der·ty·rant, noun
Synonyms
1. despot, autocrat, dictator.
1. despot, autocrat, dictator.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Tyrant
is a TOEFL word you need to know.
So is promontory. Does it mean:
| the quality or condition of being improper; inappropriate or unsuitable |
| high point of land or rock projecting into the sea beyond the line of coast |
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tyrant
c.1300, "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).
EXPAND"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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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