tyranny

noun
/ˈtərəni//ˈtɪəɹəni/US

Etymology

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

  1. derived from τυραννία — “tyranny
  2. derived from tyrannia
  3. derived from tyrannie
  4. inherited from tirannye

Definitions

  1. A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power, or this system of…

    A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power, or this system of government; especially, one that acts cruelly and unjustly.

  2. The office or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.

  3. Absolute power, or its use.

  4. + 2 more definitions
    1. A system of government in which power is exercised on behalf of the ruler or ruling…

      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.

      • He that with ſhepheards and a litle ſpoyle, Durſt in diſdaine of wrong and tyrannie, Defend his freedome gainſt a Monarchie: What will he doe ſupported by a king?
      • Control, dispossession, violence, and tyranny are not “defensive”: they are part of an organized, ongoing aggression.
    2. Extreme severity or rigour.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for tyranny. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA