dictator, potentate
(noun) a ruler who is unconstrained by law
Source: WordNet® 3.1
potentate (plural potentates)
A powerful leader; a monarch; a ruler.
A powerful polity or institution.
(derogatory) A self-important person.
This term usually carries connotations or implications of ancient despotism before advanced Western conceptions of civil law and Enlightenment values; in other words, a potentate can be described as a king or realm that exercises "raw", absolute power by decree and entrenched in "exotic" customs and traditions (cf. Orientalism). For example, a "Hindu potentate" would refer to those petty kings who controlled various small dominions in India before the British Raj. Particularly in the second sense, use of "potentate" to refer to Western states even before the modern era is rare, and may even be intended humorously in such a case.
potentate (comparative more potentate, superlative most potentate)
(obsolete) Regnant, powerful, dominant.
Source: Wiktionary
Po"ten*tate, n. Etym: [LL. potentatus, fr. potentare to exercise power: cf. F. potentat. See Potent, a.]
Definition: One who is potent; one who possesses great power or sway; a prince, sovereign, or monarch. The blessed and only potentate. 1 Tim. vi. 15. Cherub and seraph, potentates and thrones. Milton.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
3 May 2025
(adjective) worth having or seeking or achieving; “a desirable job”; “computer with many desirable features”; “a desirable outcome”
The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.
