octarchy

[ ok-tahr-kee ]

noun,plural oc·tar·chies.

a government by eight persons.
a group of eight states or kingdoms.

Origin of octarchy

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

Words Nearby octarchy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use octarchy in a sentence

Finally, to use the quaint phrase of the Chancellor Whitelock, “the octarchy was brought into one.”
Amenities of Literature | Isaac Disraeli
Thus an octarchy was established, formed of the following eight distinct states.
History of the Anglo-Saxons | Thomas Miller
With the establishment of the Saxon octarchy this territory became included in the kingdom of Mercia.
Cathedral Cities of England | George Gilbert

British Dictionary definitions for octarchy

octarchy

/ (ˈɒktɑːkɪ) /

nounplural -chies

government by eight rulers
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

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