dic·ta·tor·ship

[dik-tey-ter-ship, dik-tey-]
noun
1.
a country, government, or the form of government in which absolute power is exercised by a dictator.
2.
absolute, imperious, or overbearing power or control.
3.
the office or position held by a dictator.

Origin:
1580–90; dictator + -ship

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
dictatorship (dɪkˈteɪtəˌʃɪp) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the rank, office, or period of rule of a dictator
2.  government by a dictator or dictators
3.  a country ruled by a dictator or dictators
4.  absolute or supreme power or authority

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Dictatorships is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

dictatorship
1580s, from dictator + -ship.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

dictatorship definition


Government by a single person or by a junta or other group that is not responsible to the people or their elected representatives.

Note: Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin were dictators.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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