Il Duce
UK /iːl ˈduːtʃeɪ/ · US /il ˈdutʃeɪ/ proper noun
Forms Duce
- proper noun (historical) The title which Italian dictator Benito Mussolini assumed during his rule (1922—1945).
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian il Duce (literally “the Leader”), from duce (“commander, leader”), from Latin dux, accusative ducem (“leader”), from the nomen agentis form of Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to lead”). Doublet of duke.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “Il Duce”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details