timocracy

[ tahy-mok-ruh-see ]

/ taɪˈmɒk rə si /

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noun, plural ti·moc·ra·cies.

a form of government in which love of honor is the dominant motive of the rulers.

a form of government in which a certain amount of property is requisite as a qualification for office.

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Origin of timocracy

First recorded in 1580–90; earlier timocratie, from French or directly from Greek tīmokratía, equivalent to tīmo- (combining form of tīmḗ “honor, worth”) + -kratia combining form meaning “government”; see origin at -cracy

OTHER WORDS FROM timocracy

ti·mo·crat·ic

[tahy-muh-krat-ik], /ˌtaɪ məˈkræt ɪk/, ti·mo·crat·i·cal, adjective

Words nearby timocracy

timing chain, timing gear, Timişoara, Timmins, Timocharis, timocracy, timolol maleate, Timon, Timor, Timorese, Timor-Leste

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

How to use timocracy in a sentence

Out of this timocracy, or timarchy, the city will next pass into an oligarchy, or government of wealth.
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume IV (of 4)|George Grote
Timocracy, therefore, almost invariably paved the way to democracy.
Athens: Its Rise and Fall, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Yet the question might be asked, under what category we would place the timocracy, or government of the rich.
Introduction to the Literature of Europe in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries, Vol. 1|Henry Hallam
First below that comes timocracy, or the government of those who are ambitious for power and place.
The Five Great Philosophies of Life|William de Witt Hyde

Between the Eupatrid oligarchy and the rule of Peisistratus there comes the timocracy of Solon.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 4|Various

British Dictionary definitions for timocracy

timocracy

/ (taɪˈmɒkrəsɪ) /

noun plural -cies

a political unit or system in which possession of property serves as the first requirement for participation in government

a political unit or system in which love of honour is deemed the guiding principle of government

Derived forms of timocracy

timocratic (ˌtaɪməˈkrætɪk) or timocratical, adjective

Word Origin for timocracy

C16: from Old French tymocracie, ultimately from Greek timokratia, from timē worth, honour, price + -cracy

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