Where does “despotism” come from?

Despotism comes from French despotisme, which derived from Greek despotismós, meaning absolute rule by a master or despot.

despotism (English): government by a singular authority, either a...

Definitions

  1. government by a singular authority, either a...

Ancestry of “despotism”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchdespotismedespotism
2Catalandèspotadespot
3Ancient Greekδεσπότηςmaster, lord; ruler, despot; generally: owner
4Proto-Hellenic*déspotis—

Words derived from “despotism”

Every word from Proto-Hellenic *déspotis →