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 April 2025
(noun) an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; “how big is that part compared to the whole?”; “the team is a unit”
Espresso is both a coffee beverage and a brewing method that originated in Italy. When making an espresso, a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure forces through finely-ground coffee beans. It has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages. Its smaller serving size will take three shots to equal a mug of standard brewed coffee.
