A despot is someone who holds great power and uses it in a cruel and unfair way — most often a ruler. Under a despot, one person decides, people cannot safely disagree, and punishment can be harsh. In careful talk this is a political word, a little more literary than dictator, though people use the two in overlapping ways.

A despot is someone who holds great power and uses it in a cruel and unfair wayDespot指的是掌握極大權力、卻用殘酷不公的方式使用它的人——most often a ruler多半是指統治者。Under a despot在despot的統治下，one person decides事情由一個人決定，people cannot safely disagree人們不能安全地表達不同意見，and punishment can be harsh懲罰可能很嚴厲。In careful talk在講究的說法裡，this is a political word這是個政治用詞，a little more literary than dictator比dictator（獨裁者）多一點文學味，though people use the two in overlapping ways雖然人們用這兩個字時常常有重疊。

Though actually, the older Greek word just meant “lord” or “master,” not “cruel king”; the dark meaning grew later in European writing about rulers who kept all the power and treated people badly.

Though actually不過其實，the older Greek word just meant "lord" or "master,"更早的希臘文原字只是「主人」或「主人翁」的意思，not "cruel king"不是「殘暴的國王」；the dark meaning grew later in European writing about rulers who kept all the power and treated people badly這種黑暗的含意，是後來歐洲書寫那些獨攬大權、苛待人民的統治者時才發展出來的。

People also stretch despot in ordinary life, half in joke, for a boss, a teacher, or a family member who orders everyone around. That stretch is dramatic: it borrows the cruelty of the political word to complain about someone bossy. The core picture remains a person, usually a ruler, not the system itself.

People also stretch despot in ordinary life人們在日常生活裡也會延伸使用despot，half in joke半開玩笑地，for a boss, a teacher, or a family member who orders everyone around用來稱呼發號施令的老闆、老師，或家人。That stretch is dramatic這種延伸用法很誇張：it borrows the cruelty of the political word to complain about someone bossy它是借用政治用詞的殘酷感，來抱怨某個愛使喚人的人。The core picture remains a person, usually a ruler不過核心的畫面仍然是一個人，通常是統治者，not the system itself而不是整個制度本身。