noun
potentate
POH-tun-tayt/ˈpəʊtnteɪt/
A ruler or other person with great power.
The potentate receives a document from a deferential official.
Etymology
The base meaning “powerful” formed a noun for might, rule, or dominion. That abstract power then came to name the person possessing it: a ruler.
In context
at present secure for their masters the income of a cabinet minister or even that of a minor potentate
More examples
- Envoys brought gifts to the powerful potentate.
- A local potentate controlled access to the port.
- The novel portrayed the chairman as a corporate potentate.
Forms
potentate · potentates
Similar words
- monarch
- A monarch holds a particular hereditary or sovereign office; potentate stresses great power.
- ruler
- Ruler is neutral; potentate is formal and can suggest impressive or excessive authority.