sb. Forms: 4–6 tir-, tyrannye, -ie, (5 thir-, thyrannye, tirandye, tyreny, terannye), 6 tiranni, tyranye (Sc. -y), tyrranie, 6–7 tiranny (tirr-), tyrannie, (7 tirany), 5– tyranny. [a. F. tyrannie (13th c. in Hatz.-Darm.), = Prov. tirannia, Sp. tirania, It. tirannia, a. med.L. tyrannia, f. L. tyrannus, Gr. τύραννος TYRANT; cf. Gr. τυραννία (rare).]
1. The government of a tyrant or absolute ruler; the position or rule of a tyrant (in sense 1).
c. 1374. Chaucer, Anel. & Arc., 66. And whan that old Creon [king of Thebes] gan espie How that the blode riall was brought edoun, He heled that Cite by his Thyrannye.
1579–80. North, Plutarch (1595), 94. They say that he aunswered his friendes, that principalitie and tirannie was indeede a goodly place. Ibid., 106. Solon liued long time after Pisistratus had vsurped the tyranny.
1614. Raleigh, Hist. World, IV. vi. § 6. The Athenians … were fallen … vnder the tyranny of Lachares.
1671. Milton, Samson, Pref. Of that honour Dionysius the elder was no less ambitious, then before of his attaining to the Tyranny.
a. 1727. Newton, Chronol. Amended, i. (1728), 124. Pisistratus began to affect the Tyranny of that city [Athens].
1835. Penny Cycl., III. 15/1. Pisistratus and his son held the tyranny of Athens for thirty-six years.
1887. Encycl. Brit., XXII. 19/1. The tyranny of Dionysios fell, as usual, in the second generation.
b. In general sense: Absolute sovereignty.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., IV. xlvi. From Aristotle’s civil philosophy, they have learned, to call all manner of commonwealths but the popular … tyranny.
1668. H. More, Div. Dial., IV. vii. (1713), 300. Is it not absolute and unlimited Sovereignty,… which we from the Greeks call Tyranny?
1681. Nevile, Plato Rediv., 38. Aristotle … calls Tyranny the Corruption of Monarchy.
c. With a and pl. A state ruled by a tyrant or absolute prince; an absolute or despotic government.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., I. viii. § 3. Honour in free Monarchies and Common wealths, had a sweetness more, than in Tyrannies.
1628. Hobbes, Thucyd. (1822), 8. In most of the cities there were erected Tyrannies.
1672. Temple, Ess. Govts., Wks. 1731, I. 97. Some of the smaller States, but especially those of the Cities, fell often under Tyrannies, which spring naturally out of Popular Governments.
1712. Swift, Let. Eng. Tongue, ¶ 5. The change of their [i.e., the Roman] government to a tyranny, which ruined the study of eloquence.
1838. Arnold, Hist. Rome (1846), I. xxi. 454. All the ancient writers … call the Government of Dionysius a tyranny.
1881. Jowett, Thucyd., I. 10. The revenues of her [Hellas’] cities increased, and in most of them tyrannies were established; they had hitherto been ruled by hereditary kings, having fixed prerogatives.
2. The action or government of a tyrannical ruler; oppressive or unjustly severe government.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., Prol. 375. Tyrauntis of lumbardye That vsyn wilfulhed & tyrannye [v.r. tirandye].
1390. Gower, Conf., III. 201. Of crualte the felonie Engendred is of tirannie.
c. 1430. Lydg., Min. Poems (Percy Soc.), 82. Roote of discorde is froward tyrannye.
1494. Fabyan, Chron., I. vii. 12. Of this [Madan] is lytell or no memory made…, except yt some wryte of hym yt he vsed great Tyranny amonge his Brytons.
1495. Trevisa’s Barth. De P. R., VI. xviii. (W. de W.), n iij/1. Ryghtful lordshyp ouersettith not his subgettes by tyranny, but he defendyth theym.
1555. Eden, Decades, 258. The patriarch of Constantinople was oppressed by the Tiranni of the Turkes.
1586. T. B., La Primaud. Fr. Acad., I. (1594), 601. We may call that a tyrannie, when the prince accounteth all his will as a just law, and hath no care either of pietie, justice, or faith.
1594. Shaks., Rich. III., V. iii. 168. The last was I that felt thy Tyranny.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot., II. (S.T.S.), I. 137. The fyfte quha helde the gouernement … for his gret tirannie … he is slane.
1636. E. Dacres, trans. Machiavel’s Disc. Livy, I. 172. That part of the nobility, that hath not a share in the Tyrannie, is alwayes enemy to the Tyrant.
1667. Milton, P. L., XII. 95. Tyrannie must be, Though to the Tyrant thereby no excuse.
1724. De Foe, Mem. Cavalier, II. 167. Parliament Tyranny began to succeed Church Tyranny.
1792. Anecd. W. Pitt, III. xl. 87. The House, in committing the City Magistrates to prison, without hearing their defence upon the point of privilege, had been guilty of a gross and palpable act of tyranny.
1835. Thirlwall, Greece, I. x. 396. A monarchy, in which selfish aims predominate, becomes a tyranny.
1836. Hor. Smith, Tin Trump. (1876), 203. Sir Thomas More transported himself from the tyranny of Henry VIII. into Utopia.
1863. Froude, Hist. Eng., VII. i. 9. The accession of Mary had found the new opinions equally dishonoured by tyranny. Ibid. (1883), Short Stud., IV. iii. 263. In political catastrophes revolution is nearest when tyranny is at its worst.
3. Arbitrary or oppressive exercise of power; unjustly severe use of one’s authority; despotic treatment or influence; harsh, severe, or unmerciful action; with a and pl., an instance of this, a tyrannical act or proceeding.
c. 1368. Chaucer, Compl. Pite, 6. The cruelte and Tyrannye [v.rr. tirannye, thirannye] Of loue.
1390. Gower, Conf., IV. 207. The tirannies whiche he wroght.
c. 1402. Lydg., Compl. Bl. Knt., 665. Jelousye … That hath so longe … Werreyed Trouthe with his tirannye.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546), O j. He that hath muche, doeth tyranny to hym that hath but littell.
1560. Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 449. It is a starke tyranny that maried priestes should be put from the holy ministery.
1568. Jewel, Lett. to Abp. Parker, 7 May. I am afraid of printers. Their tyranny is terrible.
1613. Purchas, Pilgrimage (1614), 546. He delights to see men … torn with Elephants. Of these tyrannies he reckons many particulars which he saw.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., IV. x. 285. ’Tis tyranny to trample on him that prostrates himself.
1664. H. More, Myst. Iniq., xvii. 62. All the Frauds and Tyrannies of this Unchristian, though over-much Anointed, Priesthood.
1709. Strype, Ann. Ref., I. liii. 537. Among other his tyrannies,… the boy was gotten into Boner’s house, and there whipped with rods in a most lamentable manner.
1747. Butler, Serm., Wks. 1874, II. 302. The tyranny of our own lawless passions is the … most dangerous of all tyrannies.
1843. Prescott, Mexico, I. iii. (1864), 27. The worst kind of tyranny—that of a blind fanaticism.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., xl. (1856), 364. I commenced the anti-scorbutic tyranny at once.
1856. Kingsley, Lett. (1878), I. 474. Lifting up your voice to expose the tyranny of ‘Union’ strikes.
1886. Sheldon, trans. Flaubert’s Salammbô, 24. The tyrannies of discipline.
b. Violent or lawless action; violence, outrage, villany. Obs. or arch.
1475. Rolls of Parlt., VI. 138/2. For fere of which Robberies and Tyrany, doon by the said Henry Bodrugan.
1547. Reg. Privy Council Scot., I. 75. The greit preparationis and tyrany divisit and ordanit be our saidis auld ynemeis.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 250. When the Scottishe king had finished this hys tiranny vpon the Towne.
1570. Sat. Poems Reform., xx. 102. Be tyrannie, To sla our rycht Regent.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turks (1621), 142. Which crueltie he used, because they a little before had used the like tyrannie against his Turks.
Hence † Tyranny v., intr. TYRANNIZE v. 3. Obs. rare–1.
1650. Gentilis, Considerations, 45. Our sense doth with ease tyranny over us.
