duce
/ˈduːtʃeɪ/ noun, proper noun
Forms duci Duces the Duce Dowse
- noun (fascism) An authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini.
- proper noun A surname.
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian duce. Doublet of doge, duc, duke, and dux.
* As an English surname, from the obsolete adjective douce (“sweet”).
* As an Italian surname, from duce (“leader”).
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “duce”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details