timocracy

American  

[tahy-mok-ruh-see] / taɪˈmɒk rə si /

noun

plural

timocracies

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

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

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timocracy British  

/ ˌtaɪməˈkrætɪk, taɪˈmɒkrəsɪ /

noun

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

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

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Other Word Forms

• timocratic adjective
• timocratical adjective

Etymology

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”; -cracy

Example Sentences

Proud is Harvard of sons who have become famed financiers and economists, stalwart foundation piles of the U. S. timocracy and foreign financial affairs.

From Time Magazine Archive

First below that comes timocracy, or the government of those who are ambitious for power and place.

From The Five Great Philosophies of Life by Hyde, William De Witt

But how did timocracy arise out of the perfect State?

From The Republic by Jowett, Benjamin

The individual who answers to timocracy has some noticeable qualities.

From The Republic by Jowett, Benjamin

Instead of invigorating the upper classes, by substituting an industrious timocracy for an idle aristocracy, it had a very different effect.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59, No. 368, June 1846 by Various