Duce
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Duce is an Italian word meaning leader or the second, derived from Latin word dux in singular accusative case "ducem" which means to lead, of which Duke is a derivation. Other Italian leaders whose names derive from dux are the Doges of Venice and Genoa, and the title of nobility duca ("duke").
[edit] History and usage
The title was first used outside its traditional noble sense by Victor Emmanuel III in 1915, during World War I. The term was also used by Gabriele d'Annunzio as dictator of the self-proclaimed Italian Regency of Carnaro in 1920 and, most significantly, by the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini; the painting Il Duce, by Gerardo Dottori, indeed represents Mussolini. Due to Benito Mussolini, who gave himself the name "Il Duce" in 1925, it has become associated with Fascism and is no longer frequent in contemporary use other than in reference to him. One notable example of the term's contemporary usage is Eldon Hoke, the drummer from The Mentors who was often referred to as "El Duce." Due to modern anti-fascist sentiment, Italian speakers in general now use other words for "leader."
