Autokratōr (, plural: , lit. "self-ruler", "one who rules by himself", from αὐτός and κράτος) is a Greek epithet applied to an individual who exercises absolute power, unrestrained by superiors. In a historical context, it has been applied to military commanders-in-chief, and to
Roman and
Byzantine emperors as the translation of the
Latin title
imperator. Its connection with Byzantine-style
absolutism gave rise to the modern terms
autocrat and
autocracy. In
modern Greek, it means "
emperor", and the female form of the title is
autokrateira (, "empress").