transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈdes-pət, -ˌpät ]
noun
Etymology: Middle French despote, from Greek despotēs master, lord, autocrat, from des- (akin to domos house) + -potēs (akin to posis husband); akin to Sanskrit dampati lord of the house — more at dome , potent
Date: 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