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octarchy

American  
[ok-tahr-kee] / ˈɒk tɑr ki /

noun

plural

octarchies

  1. a government by eight persons.

  2. a group of eight states or kingdoms.

octarchy British  
/ ˈɒktɑːkɪ /

noun

  1. government by eight rulers

  2. a confederacy of eight kingdoms, tribes, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of octarchy

First recorded in 1795–1805; oct- + -archy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The kingdoms of the heptarchy, or octarchy, had been united under the dominion of Egbert, the King of Wessex, in the year 827, and thus formed the kingdom of England.

From English Literature, Considered as an Interpreter of English History Designed as a Manual of Instruction by Coppee, Henry

Four kingdoms of the octarchy were possessed by the Angles.

From Amenities of Literature Consisting of Sketches and Characters of English Literature by Disraeli, Isaac

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.