noun, plural du·ces, du·ci [doo-chee] /ˈdu tʃi/.
- a leader or dictator.
- il Duce, the leader: applied especially to Benito Mussolini as head of the fascist Italian state.
noun, plural du·ces [doo-seez, dyoo-, doo-keys] /ˈdu siz, ˈdyu-, ˈdu keɪs/, dux·es [duhk-siz, doo k-] /ˈdʌk sɪz, ˈdʊk-/.
- British. the pupil who is academically first in a class or school.
- (in the later Roman Empire) a military chief commanding the troops in a frontier province.
noun
- leader
noun
- Il Duce (il) the title assumed by Benito Mussolini as leader of Fascist Italy (1922–43)
noun
- (in Scottish and certain other schools) the top pupil in a class or school
1923, title assumed by Benito Mussolini (1883-1945); Italian, literally “leader,” from Latin ducem (see duke (n.)).