oligarchy Hear it!

oligarchy definition

oli·gar·chy (äl′i gär′kē)

noun pl. oligarchies -·chies

  1. a form of government in which the ruling power belongs to a few persons
  2. a state governed in this way
  3. the persons ruling such a state

Etymology: Gr oligarchia: see olig(o)- & -archy

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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