In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
TYRANNY
dictatorship, absolutism, authoritarianism, Caesarism, despotism, monocracy, one-man rule, shogunate, Stalinism, totalitarianism, tyranny
(noun) a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
absolutism, tyranny, despotism
(noun) dominance through threat of punishment and violence
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
tyranny (countable and uncountable, plural tyrannies)
A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power; this system of government.
The office or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.
Absolute power, or its use.
A system of government in which power is exercised on behalf of the ruler or ruling class, without regard to the wishes of the governed.
Extreme severity or rigour.
Synonyms
• (government): autocracy, despotism, dictatorship, monarchy
Source: Wiktionary
Tyr"an*ny, n. Etym: [OE. tirannye, OF. tirannie, F. tyrannie; cf. It. tirannia; Gr. tyrannis. See Tyrant.]
1. The government or authority of a tyrant; a country governed by an absolute ruler; hence, arbitrary or despotic exercise of power; exercise of power over subjects and others with a rigor not authorized by law or justice, or not requisite for the purposes of government. "Sir," would he [Seneca] say, "an emperor mote need Be virtuous and hate tyranny." Chaucer.
2. Cruel government or discipline; as, the tyranny of a schoolmaster.
3. Severity; rigor; inclemency. The tyranny of the open night's too rough For nature to endure. Shak.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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Word of the Day
27 January 2025
FISSILE
(adjective) capable of being split or cleft or divided in the direction of the grain; “fissile crystals”; “fissile wood”
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