dynasty

[dahy-nuh-stee; British also din-uh-stee]

noun, plural dy·nas·ties.

a sequence of rulers from the same family, stock, or group: the Ming dynasty.

the rule of such a sequence.

a series of members of a family who are distinguished for their success, wealth, etc.

Origin of dynasty

1425–75; late Middle English < Late Latin dynastīa < Greek dynasteia. See dynast, -y³

Related formsdy·nas·tic

[dahy-nas-tik; British also dih-nas-tik] /daɪˈnæs tɪk; British also dɪˈnæs tɪk/, dy·nas·ti·cal, adjectivedy·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverban·ti·dy·nas·tic, adjectivean·ti·dy·nas·ti·cal, adjectivean·ti·dy·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverban·ti·dy·nas·ty, adjectivenon·dy·nas·tic, adjectivenon·dy·nas·ti·cal, adjectivenon·dy·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dynastic

Contemporary Examples of dynastic

But some of the most obvious places where dynastic power can be seen are on the executive side of the business.
Trustafarians Want to Tell You How to Live
Joel Kotkin
October 31, 2014
Might that be Hafsat herself, a dynastic political power and dedicated public servant already?
The Nigerian Women Who Fight for Democracy
Nina Strochlic
October 1, 2014
“The dynastic choice is the only viable one,” wrote director Alessandro Sallusti.
Could Silvio Berlusconi’s Daughter Take Over Italy, Too?
Barbie Latza Nadeau
May 10, 2014
The Russian Revolution summed everything up in an instant: in place of dynastic rule, absolutism of a different kind.
Can We Divorce Our Elites?
James Poulos
April 13, 2014
It turns the focus to the inner lives of three young women caught in the dynastic soap opera.
This Week’s Hot Reads: July 2, 2012
Mythili Rao
July 2, 2012

Historical Examples of dynastic

The notion of dynastic descent was wanting to it from the beginning.
The Formation of Christendom, Volume VI
Thomas W. (Thomas William) Allies
He had precisely the same kind of dynastic idea, you know, that you fellows have.
The Market-Place
Harold Frederic
The change in China at the end of the seventeenth century was only dynastic.
Chinese Painters
Raphael Petrucci
Under Louis-Philippe he was the leader of the dynastic Left.
Memoirs of the Duchesse de Dino v.1/3, 1831-1835
Dorothy Duchesse de Dino
These scarabs have not been found in the early Dynastic graves.
Ancient Man in Britain
Donald A. (Donald Alexander) Mackenzie

British Dictionary definitions for dynastic

dynasty

noun plural -ties

a sequence of hereditary rulersan Egyptian dynasty

any sequence of powerful leaders of the same familythe Kennedy dynasty

Derived Formsdynastic (dɪˈnæstɪk) or dynastical, adjectivedynastically, adverb

Word Origin for dynasty

C15: via Late Latin from Greek dunasteia, from dunastēs dynast

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

Word Origin and History for dynastic

adj.

1800; see dynasty + -ic.

dynasty

mid-15c. (earlier dynastia, late 14c.), from Middle French dynastie and directly from Late Latin dynastia, from Greek dynasteia "power, lordship, sovereignty," from dynastes "ruler, chief," from dynasthai "have power."