Word-a-day — diktat — emblematic of the times

Anu Garg  at A.Word.A.Day has been doing German-derived words this week, but no doubt he's also been paying close attention to the news as well. To wit:

A.Word.A.Day for Thursday, March 3: diktat

PRONUNCIATION: (dik-TAT)

MEANING:
noun:
1. An order or decree imposed without popular consent.
2. A harsh settlement imposed upon a defeated party.

ETYMOLOGY:
From German Diktat (command, order, dictation), from Latin dictatum (something dictated), from dictare (to dictate), frequentative of dicere (to say). Ultimately from the Indo-European root deik- (to show, to pronounce solemnly), which is also the source of words such as judge, verdict, vendetta, revenge, indicate, dictate, paradigm, interdict, and fatidic. Earliest documented use: 1922, in reference to the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, by Germany. 

Sound familiar? Certainly evident of what the populace is trying to overthrow in the Middle East ... and what ordinary Americans are trying to prevent in Wisconsin and Ohio.