generalissimo
/ˌd͡ʒɛnəɹəˈlisimoʊ/
generalissimo means A supreme commander of the armed forces of a country, especially one who is also a political leader. It carries an Arena rating of 1455, earned across 33 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, generalissimo ranks #916 of 13,218 for Scariest Words, #2,301 of 13,218 for Most Ponderous Words, #2,712 of 13,218 for Most Sublime Words, #2,973 of 13,218 for Funniest Words.
generalissimo is pronounced /ˌd͡ʒɛnəɹəˈlisimoʊ/.
Why “generalissimo” is a great word
GENERALISSIMO — [Noun] The supreme commander of a nation's armed forces, particularly one whose military authority is fused with absolute political control. Borrowed from Italian generalissimo, the superlative of generale ("general"), from Latin generālis, with the suffix -issimo from Latin -issimus ("utmost, highest"). First attested in English in the 1620s. Unlike "general" (a high rank within a hierarchy) or "commander-in-chief" (a constitutional, often civilian, title), generalissimo denotes a singular, autocratic pinnacle where martial and political power fuse irrevocably. It is the polished jackboot on the palace marble, the map room where borders are redrawn with a single stroke, and the hollow plaza where a single statue gazes over regiments of the forgotten—a word that smells of gun oil and ratified air, the precise moment a title becomes a symptom of the state it consumes.
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian generalissimo, superlative of generale.
noun
- A supreme commander of the armed forces of a country, especially one who is also a political leader.“Where stands Marshal Chiang Kai-shek in this conflict of opinion concerning the tactics which China should adopt towards the aggressor? Chiang Kai-shek, according to officials who know his mind with whom I have talked, is all for resistance—as soon as he thinks he can win! “It is a fatal mistake for the Japanese to imagine that I will not fight under any circumstances,” he has said. But the Chines”
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