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Doge (plural dogi or doges) is a word of an Italian dialect that comes from the Latin dux (as does the English duke and the standard Italian duce), that means "leader", especially in a military context.

The title of doge was used for the elected head of state in a number of Italian "crowned republics". The two best known such republics were Venice and Genoa, which had maritime, commercial, and territorial mini-empires. Sometimes the Doge ruled for life; sometimes for a fixed number of years.