Meaning
A usurper; one who gains power and rules extralegally, distinguished from kings elevated by election or succession.
Etymology
Origin: Middle English
From Middle English tyraunt, tiraunt, tyrant, tyrante, from Old French tyrant, from the addition of a terminal -t to tiran (cp. French tyran) via a back-formation related to the development of French present participles out of the Latin -ans form, from Latin tyrannus (“despot”), from Ancient Greek τύραννος (túrannos, “usurper, monarch, despot”), of uncertain origin.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 2 recorded puzzles: