Plural of despot; rulers who have complete power and often use it cruelly or unfairly.
From Greek despotes (master, lord, ruler), this word entered English through Old French and Middle English. The -s is the standard English plural marker.
History books are crowded with despots from every continent and era—yet the word itself comes from a specific place and time (ancient Greece), showing how one culture's vocabulary for describing power became universal.
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