Spurious Potentate

Some words from To Kill a Mockingbird, one of my all-time favorite books:

Potentate, which means one who has the power or position to rule over others, monach, or one who dominates or leads any group or industry. From Middle English, from late Latin, from potent (power).

Spurious, which means counterfeit, fake, phony, or illegimate. From Latin, perhaps from Etruscan, spurcus (impure). Etruscan! Who were the Etruscans? More later…