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heptarchy

 - 2 dictionary results

hep⋅tar⋅chy

  [hep-tahr-kee]
Use heptarchy in a Sentence
–noun, plural -chies.
1. (often initial capital letter) the seven principal concurrent Anglo-Saxon kingdoms supposed to have existed in the 7th and 8th centuries.
2. government by seven persons.
3. an allied group of seven states or kingdoms, each under its own ruler.
Origin:
1570–80; hept- + -archy

Related forms:
heptarch, hep⋅tar⋅chist, noun
hep⋅tar⋅chic, hep⋅tar⋅chi⋅cal, hep⋅tar⋅chal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To heptarchy
hep·tar·chy   (hěp'tär'kē)   
n.   pl. hep·tar·chies

    1. Government by seven persons.

    2. A state governed by seven persons.

  2. often Heptarchy The informal confederation of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms from the fifth to the ninth century, consisting of Kent, Sussex, Wessex, Essex, Northumbria, East Anglia, and Mercia.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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