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oligarchy

Etymology and origin of the English word oligarchy

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɒlɪˌɡɑːki/ (UK); /ˈɑlɪˌɡɑɹki/, /ˈoʊlɪˌɡɑɹki/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French oligarchie,[2][3] from Medieval Latin oligarchia,[4] from Ancient Greek ὀλιγαρχία (oligarkhía, “government by the few”),[2][3][4] from Ancient Greek ὀλίγος (olígos, “few”) + -αρχία (-arkhía, “rule”).[2][3][4] An earlier form oligracie was borrowed from Old French about 1500.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Government by the few, a form of government in which power is confined to a few persons or families (1542 in Merriam-Webster; 1577 in the OED and Barnhart).[5][6][2]

Semantic evolution

Aristotle defined oligarchy as rule by the rich and well born, who are few, as opposed to democracy, rule by the free and poor majority.[3] The word also names the small group that rules and the state so ruled.[7][4][1] From 1933 it was extended to any organization controlled by a small group.[6] Oligarch is recorded before 1610.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1500 – oligracie.[2][3]
  • 1542 – Merriam-Webster's date.[5]
  • 1577 – government by the few.[6][2]
  • before 1610 – oligarch.[2]
  • 1933 – any organization ruled by a small group.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Government by a few people, especially by a small faction of persons or families, often for corrupt or selfish purposes.
  2. The people who make up such a government.
  3. A state or organization governed by a few.

Word family

  • oligarchic
  • oligarch

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Oligarchy.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/oligarchy. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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