ˈpōt ə n.ˌtāt, usu -ād.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English potentat, from Late Latin potentatus, from Latin, power, from potent-, potens potent, powerful + -atus -ate
1. : one who possesses great power or sway : ruler , prince , dictator
was not an oriental potentate , but a modern, liberal, constitutional monarch — Time
these great potentates of Paris fashion — E.O.Hauser
son of a mighty film potentate — Bennett Cerf
2. archaic : a powerful nation, city, or company
3. : the chief officer of a secret fraternal order