Hypertext Webster Gateway: "oligarchy"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
oligarchy
n : a political system governed by a few people
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