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president

n.
US //ˈpɹɛzəˌdɛnt// UK //pɹˈɛzɪdənt// pres·i·dent
  1. 1 head of state (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    the highest leader of a country that does not have a king or queen.

    the head of state in a republic, often holding executive power as the head of government in systems like that of the United States.

    Example

    The president signed the new law during a ceremony at the capital.

    Example

    In many parliamentary republics, the president serves a primarily ceremonial role, while the prime minister handles the daily administration of the government.
  2. 2 business leader (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the person in charge of a large company or a part of a business.

    the highest-ranking officer of a corporation or organization, often responsible for high-level strategy and reporting to a board of directors.

    Example

    She was promoted to president of the company after ten years of hard work.

    Example

    The president of the international division announced a major restructuring plan to improve efficiency across the European offices.
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  1. 3 head of a group (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the person who leads a club, a university, or a small group.

    the presiding officer of an organized body, such as a university, society, or committee.

    Example

    The student president organized a protest against the new library fees.

    Example

    As president of the local historical society, he spent his weekends archiving documents from the town's founding era.
  2. 4 meeting leader (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    the person who is in charge of a specific meeting.

    the individual appointed to preside over a specific meeting or assembly to maintain order and follow the agenda.

    Example

    The president of the meeting asked everyone to be quiet so the vote could begin.

    Example

    The president of the assembly ruled that the motion was out of order according to the established bylaws.

    Usage

    Often used in the context of formal parliamentary procedure.
Origin

From Old French president, 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'.

Word family

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