# despot

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈdɛs.pɒt/ · frequency rank #42,603

## Definitions
1. A ruler with absolute power; a tyrant.
2. A title awarded to senior members of the imperial family in the late Byzantine Empire, and claimed by various independent or semi-autonomous rulers in the Balkans (12th to 15th centuries)

## Etymology
From Middle French despote, from Old French despote, from Medieval Latin despota, from Ancient Greek δεσπότης (despótēs, “lord, master, owner”). Cognate with Sanskrit दम्पति (dámpati).

## Easily confused with
- **despotic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/despot-vs-despotic)
- **depot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/depot-vs-despot)
- **desert** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/desert-vs-despot)
- **deport** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deport-vs-despot)
- **desist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/desist-vs-despot)
- **Dermot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dermot-vs-despot)
- **despite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/despite-vs-despot)

## Common misspellings (9)
`ddespot`, `depsot`, `desopt`, `despott`, `desppot`, `despto`, `desspot`, `dsepot`, `edspot`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/despot