tyranny

Etymology

From Middle English, borrowed from Old French tyrannie, from Medieval Latin tyrannia, tyrania, from Ancient Greek τυραννία (turannía, “tyranny”), from τύραννος (túrannos, “lord, master, sovereign, tyrant”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɪɹəni/
• Rhymes: -ɹəni

Noun

tyranny (countable and uncountable, plural tyrannies)

1. A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power; this system of government.
2. The office or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.
3. Absolute power, or its use.
4. A system of government in which power is exercised on behalf of the ruler or ruling class, without regard to the wishes of the governed.
5. Extreme severity or rigour.

Further reading

• tyranny in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• tyranny in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• tyranny at OneLook Dictionary Search