English edit

 
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Etymology edit

From Latin dictātor (a chief magistrate), from dictō (dictate, prescribe), from dīcō (say, speak). By surface analysis, dictate +‎ -or, literally one who dictates.

Pronunciation edit

  • (UK) IPA(key): /dɪkˈteɪtə(ɹ)/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈdɪkteɪtəɹ/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪtə(ɹ)

Noun edit

dictator (plural dictators)

  1. A totalitarian leader of a country, nation, or government.
    • 1971, Lyndon Johnson, “A Time of Testing: Crises in the Caribbean”, in The Vantage Point[1], Holt, Reinhart & Winston, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 188:
      The Dominicans had lived for thirty years under the iron-fisted rule of dictator Leonidas Trujillo. During those years, which ended with Trujillo's assassination in 1961, those who opposed Trujillo had three choices: to go into exile, to go underground, or to remain quiet. Most Dominicans had chosen the third course.
    • 2019, (Existential Comics), 29 January, 9:27 AM Tweet:
      Dictator, noun : someone who doesn't let American CEOs dictate how their country is run
    • 2023 June 21, Trevor Hunnicutt, Ryan Woo, quoting Joe Biden, “China hits back after Biden calls Xi a 'dictator'”, in Reuters[2], archived from the original on 22 June 2023:
      "The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it was he didn't know it was there," Biden said.
      "That's a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn't know what happened. That wasn't supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course," Biden said.
  2. (history) A magistrate without colleague in republican Ancient Rome, who held full executive authority for a term granted by the senate (legislature), typically to conduct a war.
  3. A tyrannical boss or authority figure.
  4. Misspelling of dictater.

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Translations edit

Dutch edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Latin dictātor.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

dictator m (plural dictatoren or dictators, diminutive dictatortje n)

  1. dictator (tyrant, despot)
    Synonyms: despoot, dwingeland, tiran
  2. (historical) dictator (Roman magistrate with expanded powers)

Related terms edit

Latin edit

Etymology edit

From dictō (I dictate) +‎ -tor.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

dictātor m (genitive dictātōris); third declension

  1. an elected chief magistrate
  2. one who dictates.

Declension edit

Third-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative dictātor dictātōrēs
Genitive dictātōris dictātōrum
Dative dictātōrī dictātōribus
Accusative dictātōrem dictātōrēs
Ablative dictātōre dictātōribus
Vocative dictātor dictātōrēs

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Descendants edit

References edit

  • dictator”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • dictator”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • dictator in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • dictator in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
  • Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book[3], London: Macmillan and Co.
    • to name a person dictator: dictatorem dicere (creare)
    • a dictator appoints a magister equitum: dictator dicit (legit) magistrum equitum
  • dictator”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • dictator”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from French dictateur, Latin dictātor. Equivalent to dicta +‎ -tor.

Noun edit

dictator m (plural dictatori)

  1. dictator

Related terms edit