Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One appointed or elected to preside over an organized body of people, such as an assembly or meeting.
  • noun The chief executive of a republic.
  • noun The chief executive officer of the United States, with powers as determined by the US Constitution.
  • noun The chief officer of a branch of government, corporation, board of trustees, university, or similar body.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An erroneous spelling of precedent.
  • Presiding; directing; guiding; occupying the chief place or first rank.
  • noun One who presides; one who superintends and directs the proceedings of others; a ruler; a ruling spirit.
  • noun An officer elected or appointed to preside over and control the proceedings of others.
  • noun The chief officer of a corporation, company, or society: as, the president of a railway company, or of a bank.
  • noun The governing officer of a college or university.
  • noun The highest officer of state in a modern republic. The President of the United States is chosen once in four years by presidential electors, who are elected by the people of the several States, the electors in every State being equal in number to the senators and representatives of the State in Congress. The action of the electors is a mere formality, as they always vote for the nominees of the national conventions of their party. The President is commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several States when called into the service of the United States. He is authorized to grant reprieves and pardons for violation of United States laws (except in cases of impeachment), to make treaties with the concurrence of two thirds of the Senate, to recommend legislation, and to see that the laws are faithfully executed. His powers of appointment to office are partly provided for in the Constitution and partly statutory; his chief appointments (requiring confirmation by the Senate) are—cabinet officers and heads of bureaus or subdivisions, diplomatic and consular agents, federal judges, officers of territories, postmasters of the first, second, and third classes, and the principal officers of the army and navy. His salary is $50,000 a year. President was the title of the chief executive magistrate in New Hampshire from 1784 to 1792 (President of Council, 1776-84), in Pennsylvania from 1776 to 1790, in Delaware from 1776 to 1792, and in South Carolina from 1776 to 1778. Subsequently these titles were exchanged for that of governor. The President of the French republic is elected for seven years by the Senate and Chamber of Deputies united in National Assembly. The President of the Swiss Confederation is elected for one year by the Federal Assembly, from among the members of the Federal Council. Abbreviated Pres.
  • noun A title given to the head of the Mormon hierarchy.
  • noun A protector; a tutelary power; a patron.
  • noun A kind of damask of silk, or silk and wool, used for upholstery.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One who is elected or appointed to preside; a presiding officer, as of a legislative body.
  • noun The chief officer of a corporation, company, institution, society, or the like.
  • noun The chief executive officer of the government in certain republics.
  • noun obsolete A protector; a guardian; a presiding genius.
  • noun obsolete Precedent.
  • adjective rare Occupying the first rank or chief place; having the highest authority; presiding.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The head of state of a republic, a representative democracy and sometimes (in cases of constitutional violations) a dictatorship.
  • noun Primary leader of a corporation. Not to be confused with CEO, which is a related but separate position that is sometimes held by a different person.
  • noun A person presiding over a meeting, chair, presiding officer, presider.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the officer who presides at the meetings of an organization
  • noun the office of the United States head of state
  • noun the person who holds the office of head of state of the United States government
  • noun the chief executive of a republic
  • noun the head administrative officer of a college or university
  • noun an executive officer of a firm or corporation

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin praesidēns, praesident-, from present participle of praesidēre, to preside; see preside.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French président, from Latin praesidēns ("presiding over; president, leader") (accusative: praesidentem). The Latin word is the substantivized present active participle of the verb praesideō ("preside over"). The verb is composed from prae ("before") and sedeō ("sit"). The original meaning of the verb is 'to sit before' in the sense of presiding at a meeting. A secondary meaning of the verb is 'to command, to govern'. So praesidēns means 'the presiding one on a meeting' or 'governor, commander'.

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Examples

  • -- _The president's reception_ means the reception given by the president, but _the reception of the president_ means the reception given to the president.

    Higher Lessons in English A work on english grammar and composition Brainerd Kellogg

  • February 25, 2009 at 02:19 PM best speech in a long time..it was very great to hear president obama speaking with a clear sentence who made sense..the grand obstructionists party proved that they don't care about the american people at all so we should let them continue to make fools of themselves because the next serious elections, they will be voted out..president obama rocked the house and made everything clear for all americans to understand..gops are still mad because president obama won the white house and beat them at their own game!

    Strong ratings for Obama speech -- The Live Feed | THR 2009

  • Bush's obsession with being a 'wartime president' yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = 'Bush\'s obsession with being a \'wartime president\' '; yahooBuzzArticleSummary =' Article:  “IÂ’m the commander in chief, ” [Bush] told Congressional leaders at a recent White House meeting.

    Bush's obsession with being a 'wartime president' 2005

  • "Should a Tutor at any time find it necessary to be absent from the college during the session, the case should be stated by him to the president (that it may be known whether the college can dispense with his personal attendance in existing circumstances, and the case to be judged of by the president*) that provision may be made

    Letter from Joseph Caldwell to Rev. William McPheeters, January 1, 1834 1834

  • So you pick up the phone, dial the label president, and beg for release from the adjective that's become pure poison in the marketplace.

    Jazz Is Dead. Long Live Jazz. 2009

  • Intrigued about a group whose recordings he has never heard (the rejections have been by a subordinate) the label president - Alan Livingston - decides to appraise the Beatles 'latest record.

    Martin Lewis: Tweet The Beatles! How Walter Cronkite Sent The Beatles Viral... in 1963! 2009

  • And he's hoping a biographical tour will help him add the title president to his political biography.

    CNN Transcript Mar 31, 2008 2008

  • He has a very impressive resume, but he won't be adding the title president of the United States.

    CNN Transcript Jan 10, 2008 2008

  • From rival rallies and refusing to relinquish the title president or his seat in Parliament, to snubbing Mogoba's overtures and then forming the Positive Action Council, Makwetu became a destructive force.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 2000

  • CROWLEY: While lawyers in Florida and Washington defend his claim to the title president-elect, George Bush is in Texas leading a kind of transition in exile.

    CNN Transcript - Special Event: Election 2000: The Florida Vote - November 28, 2000 2000

Comments

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  • User: What about Obama and McCain?

    Bot: They like to argue in Italian. Loudly.

    User: Bravo! Che notizie che mi stai dicendo! *

    Bot: Cosa devo capire? **

    User: Psst ... the election result. Who will be the next president?

    Bot: I will.

    ---------------------------------------

    * Bravo! What things you're telling me!

    ** What should I understand?

    October 14, 2008

  • Erk! Was it an Obamabot?

    October 14, 2008