des·pot
noun/ˈdespɒt/
/ˈdespɑːt/
- a leader with great power, especially one who uses it in a cruel way
专制统治者；专制君主；暴君 - an enlightened despot (= one who tries to use his/her power in a good way)
开明的专制君主 - It is the story of a military coup which brings a brutal despot to power.
这就是那次军事政变的来龙去脉，它把一个残暴的专制统治者扶上了台。
Word Originmid 16th cent.: from French despote, via medieval Latin from Greek despotēs ‘master, absolute ruler’. Originally (after the Turkish conquest of Constantinople) the term denoted a minor Christian ruler under the Turkish empire. The current sense dates from the late 18th cent. - an enlightened despot (= one who tries to use his/her power in a good way)