Etymologically
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dictatorship

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 26 October 2026 at 03:17. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /dɪkˈteɪtə(ɹ)ʃɪp/[1]
  • US: /ˈdɪkteɪtəɹʃɪp/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English dictator + -ship,[2][3][4][5] probably at first after Latin dictātūra, the source of dictature.[2] Its base comes from Latin dictātor, an agent noun from dictō (“to say often, prescribe”), a frequentative of dīcō (“to say, speak”).[3] In the phrase “dictatorship of the proletariat” the word follows German Diktatur des Proletariats.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The office of a dictator, or the period of a dictator's rule: 1542, in Nicholas Udall's translation of Erasmus's Apophthegmes.[2][6] Etymonline dates the word to the 1580s, as the office or term of a Roman dictator.[3]

Semantic evolution

Like dictator, the word first referred to the temporary office of absolute power in the Roman republic.[3][2] From 1580, in a translation of Foxe, it was also used of absolute authority in any sphere, or of overbearing behaviour,[2] a sense Etymonline dates to the late 17th century.[3] Johnson (1755) gave both "the office of dictator" and "authority; insolent confidence".[5] The modern political sense, a system of government by one person with absolute power, or a state so ruled, is recorded from 1817, in an account of the battle of Waterloo.[2] Merriam-Webster extends it to rule by a small group without constitutional limits.[6] Dictatorship of the proletariat, from Marxist theory, appears in English in 1895, in The Times.[2]

Timeline

  • 1542 – the office or rule of a dictator.[2][6]
  • 1580 – absolute authority in any sphere.[2]
  • 1755 – Johnson: the office of dictator; authority, insolent confidence.[5]
  • 1817 – government by one person with absolute power; a state so ruled.[2]
  • 1895 – dictatorship of the proletariat.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A form of government in which one person or a small group holds absolute power, or a country governed in this way: The coup turned the young republic into a dictatorship.[7][6][2]
  2. The office, rank or period of rule of a dictator.[7][6][2]
  3. Absolute power or authority in any field.[7][6][2]
  4. dictatorship of the proletariat: in Marxist theory, rule by the working class after the overthrow of capitalism.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins