overlord n : a person who has general authority over others [syn: master, lord]

English

Etymology

over- + lord

Noun

1. A ruler of other rulers.

   The various tribal chieftains met each spring to elect an overlord that would lead them in time of war.

2. Anyone with overarching power or authority in a given domain.

   The crusty old professor was overlord of the history department, and few dared to cross his will.

Usage notes

• The second sense frequently carries negative connotations; calling one an overlord can imply tyranny or authoritarianism.

Derived terms

• overlordship

Translations

In feudalism, an overlord was a lord having authority over other lords. The ruler of all rulers. Any one with over arching power or authoritarianism, or absolute power.

Overlord may also refer to:

In military history:

• Operation Overlord (codename for the Battle of Normandy), the invasion of Normandy by Allied forces during World War II
• Overlord (military acronym)

In fiction:

• Overlord (comics), a comic-book supervillain created by Erik Larsen
• Overlord (Transformers), a Transformers character
• Overlord (species), a non-human species in the book Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
• "Invasion of the Capital" / "Over Lord", an episode of the TV series RahXephon with an operation named after the Battle of Normandy.
• Dark Lord (also known as "Evil Overlord"), in fiction, a powerful villain with evil henchmen
• In the Disgaea games, Anime, and manga, an Overlord is a demon in charge of a netherworld of its own.

In video gaming:

• Overlord (1990 computer game) (called Supremacy in Europe), a 1990 strategy computer game
• Overlord (1993 video game), a strategy game for the NES, port of the 1990 computer game
• Overlord (1994 video game), a World War II flight simulator for the Amiga and PC by Rowan Software.
• Overlord (2007 video game), an action/adventure game for the PC, PS3 (2008), and Xbox 360
• A type of hero in the computer game Heroes III
• The name of Act 5—Quest 1 in the computer game Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
• Overlord, an airborne Zerg breed used for battle co-ordination and transport the StarCraft science-fiction series.
• The name of a Chinese tank in the game Command & Conquer: Generals
• A common name for the ruler of Freeport, Lucan D'Lere in EverQuest 2
• The name of one of the character classes in the computer game Lineage II
• The monstrous high commander of the aliens of the Moon Station in the episode called "Lunar Apocalypse" in PC game Duke Nukem 3d

Other:

• Overlord (film), a 1975 film by Stuart Cooper
• Overlord meme, an internet meme relating mock submission
• Evil overlord, another word for supervillain
• Evil Overlord List, a list of common errors made by stereotypical villains
• Overlord (MC Overlord), an Austin-based hip-hop artist

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