Standard Lemma guide

duce

name · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈduːtʃeɪ/
  • CMU ARPABET: D UW1 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

name

Meaning 2

Alternative form of Il Duce.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: fascism, government, human-sciences, ideology, philosophy, politics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

leader

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Mussolini was called Il Duce

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: leader

History

Etymology

* As an English surname, from the obsolete adjective douce (“sweet”). * As an Italian surname, from duce (“leader”).

Borrowed from Italian duce. Doublet of doge, duc, duke, and dux.

Across languages

Translations

20 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: دُوتْشِي (dūtšī) — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Arabic: دُوتْشِي (dūtše) — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Armenian: դուչե (dučʻe) — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Belarusian: ду́чэ (dúče) — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Bulgarian: ду́че (dúče) — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Chinese Mandarin: duce — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Chinese Mandarin: 領袖 /领袖 (lǐngxiù) — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • French: duce — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Georgian: დუჩე (duče) — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • German: Duce — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Greek: ντούτσε (ntoútse) — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Hebrew: דוצ׳ה (dúche) — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Hungarian: dúcse — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Italian: duce — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Japanese: ドゥーチェ (dūche) — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Korean: 두체 (duche) — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Lithuanian: dučė — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Russian: ду́че (dúče) — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Spanish: duce — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini
  • Ukrainian: ду́че (dúče) — (fascism) an authoritarian leader, especially Benito Mussolini