dictator
Definitions
A ruler with total, often oppressive, power
独裁者，专制统治者
(informal) a person who tells everyone what to do in a bossy way
（非正式）专横霸道、爱指挥人的人
Root Breakdown
Root-deriveddictate + -or (one who) = 'one who dictates' — one whose word is law. In the Roman Republic a dictator was a magistrate granted absolute power for a fixed emergency. Modern usage kept the absolute power but dropped the time limit, so a dictator is now a tyrant.
Root dic still carries 82 more wordsWhy It Means This
The word that anchors the whole root: a dictator is literally someone whose saying (dict) is binding. Rome's original dictators were temporary crisis-managers who stepped down after six months; only later did the word come to mean a permanent, unaccountable strongman.
Example Sentences
- 1.
The dictator ruled the country with an iron fist for thirty years.
- 2.
Stop being such a dictator and let everyone have a say.