podesta
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.po·de·sta
noun \ˌpō-də-ˈstä\Definition of PODESTA
: a chief magistrate in a medieval Italian municipality
Origin of PODESTA
Italian podestà, literally, power, from Latin potestat-, potestas, irregular from potis able — more at potent
First Known Use: 1548
Rhymes with PODESTA
abaca, Abdullah, Adana, agora, ahimsa, aloha, Antalya, assignat, Astana, Aymara, baccarat, baklava, Bogotá, brouhaha, cervelat, coup d'état, Cumaná, Delacroix, entrechat, feria, guarana, haftarah, haniwa, Heredia, inshallah, Kashiwa, koruna, Kostroma, la-di-da, ma-and-pa, Machida, Malinois, Mardi Gras, Masséna, Modena, moussaka, Oshawa, pakeha, panama, Panama, Paraná, parashah, pas de trois, persona, pietà, polenta, polynya, port de bras, reseda, rufiyaa, Shangri-la, tempura, ulema, usquebaugh
podesta
noun (Concise Encyclopedia)(Italian: “power”) In medieval Italian communes, the highest judicial and military magistrate. The office was instituted by Frederick I Barbarossa in an attempt to govern rebellious Lombard cities. From the late 12th century the communes usually elected their own podesta, often a nobleman with legal training. Serving for six months or a year, the podesta summoned councils, led the communal army, and administered civil and criminal jurisdiction.
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