[des.pot] n [MF despote, fr. Gk despotes master, lord, autocrat, fr. des- (akin to domos house) + -potes (akin to posis husband); akin to Skt dampati lord of the house--more at dome, potent] (1585) 1 a: a Byzantine emperor or prince b: a bishop or patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church c: an Italian hereditary prince or military leader during the Renaissance
2. a: a ruler with absolute power and authority b: a person exercising power tyrannically