Copresident

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who shares the position and responsibilities of leading an organization or committee jointly with one or more others
2. One of two or more persons holding equal authority as the head of a group or institution simultaneously
3. A person appointed to serve alongside another in the highest leadership role, sharing decision-making and governance duties equally

Etymology: "Copresident" is about as transparent as English compounds get: it joins the prefix "co-", meaning "together with" or "jointly", to "president", and the result names a shared holder of the top office. The prefix itself comes from Latin "com-", which becomes "co-" before a vowel or certain consonants, so the same sense of togetherness that runs through "cooperate" and "coauthor" is at work here. The more interesting thing is the "president" half. It traces back to Latin "praesidens", the present participle of "praesidere", meaning "to preside" or literally "to sit in front of" or "to protect". Its original sense was a person who sits in the chief seat at a gathering, not a head of state. Once that base is set, the compound is easy to read: two people sitting in the same chair, each sharing its authority equally.

Synonyms: co-chair, co-leader, joint president, co-head, co-executive

Antonyms: president, sole president, single leader