potentate

[ poht-n-teyt ]
See synonyms for potentate on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who possesses great power, as a sovereign, monarch, or ruler.

Origin of potentate

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Late Latin potentātus potentate, Latin: power, dominion. See potent1, -ate3

Words Nearby potentate

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How to use potentate in a sentence

  • What can be more eloquent than his defence of Benjamin, and his appeal to what seemed to him to be an Egyptian potentate!

  • As soon as the parties were brought in, the judicial potentate eyed them sternly for some time.

  • The American influence has been felt to such an extent that King Jazz is a universal potentate.

    My Wonderful Visit | Charlie Chaplin
  • The great arch-ruler, potentate of hell, Tumbles when Bacon bids him, or his fiends Bow to the force of his pentageron.

    Witch, Warlock, and Magician | William Henry Davenport Adams

British Dictionary definitions for potentate

potentate

/ (ˈpəʊtənˌteɪt) /


noun
  1. a person who possesses great power or authority, esp a ruler or monarch

Origin of potentate

1
C14: from Late Latin potentātus ruler, from Latin: rule, command, from potens powerful, from posse to be able

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012