president

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old French president, from Latin praesidēns (“presiding over; president, leader”) (accusative: praesidentem). The Latin word is the substantivized present active participle of the verb praesideō (“preside over”). The verb is composed from prae (“before”) and sedeō (“sit”). The original meaning of the verb is 'to sit before' in the sense of presiding at a meeting. A secondary meaning of the verb is 'to command, to govern'. So praesidēns means 'the presiding one on a meeting' or 'governor, commander'.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpɹɛzɨdənt/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Audio (UK)(file)
  • Hyphenation: pre‧si‧dent

Noun

president (plural presidents, feminine presidentess)

  1. The head of state of a republic, a representative democracy and sometimes a dictatorship.
    • 2007, Benjamin Camins, Hillary Is the Best Choice, Page 144
      […] to change the pattern of the last 220 years of only voting for a white male president, and elect a woman president […]
    The vast majority of presidents have been male.
  2. Primary leader of a corporation. Not to be confused with CEO, which is a related but separate position that is sometimes held by a different person.
  3. A person presiding over a meeting, chair, presiding officer, presider.
  4. Obsolete form of precedent.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)

Synonyms

  • (American head of state): POTUS
  • (head of a college or university): provost (UK)
  • (head of various specific bodies): prepositus
  • (informal, jocular): prexy, prez

Translations

Adjective

president (not comparable)

  1. (archaic) Occupying the first rank or chief place; having the highest authority; presiding.
    • Milton
      His angels president / In every province.

Catalan

Noun

president m (plural presidents)

  1. president

Czech

Noun

president m

  1. Alternative spelling of prezident

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: pre‧si‧dent
  • Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

president m (plural presidenten, diminutive presidentje n)

  1. president

Derived terms

Ladin

Alternative forms

  • presidënt

Noun

president m (plural presidenc)

  1. president

Middle French

Noun

president m (plural presidens)

  1. president (leader of an organization)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin praesidens

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: pre‧si‧dent

Noun

president m (definite singular presidenten, indefinite plural presidenter, definite plural presidentene)

  1. a president

Derived terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin praesidens

Noun

president m (definite singular presidenten, indefinite plural presidentar, definite plural presidentane)

  1. a president

References

Spanish

Etymology

Catalan president

Noun

president m (plural presidents)

  1. president of Catalonia

Swedish

Pronunciation

  • Audio(file)

Noun

president c

  1. a chairman, presiding member of an assembly, e.g. a court of law
  2. a president, head of state in a republic

Declension

Declension of president 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative president presidenten presidenter presidenterna
Genitive presidents presidentens presidenters presidenternas
  • hovrättspresident
  • presidentbostad
  • presidentföredragning
  • presidenthustru
  • presidentkampanj
  • presidentkandidat
  • presidentmakt
  • presidentpalats
  • presidentperiod
  • presidentpost
  • presidentskap
  • presidentskifte
  • presidentstyre
  • presidentur
  • presidentval

References

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