oligarchy definition | Dictionary.com

ol⋅i⋅gar⋅chy

[ol-i-gahr-kee]

–noun, plural -chies.

1.	a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.

2.	a state or organization so ruled.

3.	the persons or class so ruling.

Origin:
1570–80; < ML oligarchia < Gk oligarchía. See olig-, -archy

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ol·i·gar·chy (ŏl'ĭ-gär'kē, ō'lĭ-)

n. pl. ol·i·gar·chies

1. Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families.
2. Those making up such a government.
A state governed by a few persons.

ol'i·gar'chic, ol'i·gar'chi·cal adj.

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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Oligarchy

Ol"i*gar"chy\, n.; pl. Oligarchies. [Gr. ?; ? few, little + ? to rule, govern: cf.F. oligarchie.] A form of government in which the supreme power is placed in the hands of a few persons; also, those who form the ruling few.

All oligarchies, wherein a few men domineer, do what they list. --Burton.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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oligarchy [(ol-uh-gahr-kee, oh-luh-gahr-kee)]

A system of government in which power is held by a small group.

oligarchy

1577, from M.Fr. oligarchie (14c.), from Gk. oligarkhia "government by the few," from oligoi "few, small, little" (of unknown origin) + arkhein "to rule."

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