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podesta

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podesta¹

Where it comes from

From Italian podesta, from Latin potestas (“power; powerful one”). Doublet of poustie. See potent.

noun podestas

  1. historical A chief magistrate of various Italian republics and city-states in the Middle Ages. Secular palaces, such as that of the Tolomei, were rented for municipal use, and officials such as the Podestà were found lodgings in others.
  2. historical A municipal administrator during the Italian Fascist regime (1927–43). M.B. herself is tormented by anxiety […] for her husband, who, as Podestà of this town, is likely soon to get into trouble.

Podesta²

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Italian Podestà.

proper noun Podestas

  1. A surname from Italian.

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Cite this
MLA

"podesta." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/podesta. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

podesta. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/podesta

Chicago

"podesta." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/podesta.

BibTeX
@misc{podesta_2026,
  title = {podesta},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/podesta},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}