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triumvirate

[trahy-uhm-ver-it, -vuh-reyt]
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noun
  1. Roman History. the office or magistracy of a triumvir.
  2. a government of three officers or magistrates functioning jointly.
  3. a coalition of three magistrates or rulers for joint administration.
  4. any association of three in office or authority.
  5. any group or set of three.
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Origin of triumvirate

From the Latin word triumvirātus, dating back to 1575–85. See triumvir, -ate3
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

threesometroikatriadthreetrinetripletrinitytriplettriangletriplicatetrilogytriptychtreyterniontriunetriunity

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British Dictionary definitions for triumvirate

triumvirate

noun
  1. (in ancient Rome)
    1. a board of three officials jointly responsible for some task
    2. the political alliance of Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey, formed in 60 bc (First Triumvirate)
    3. the coalition and joint rule of the Roman Empire by Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian, begun in 43 bc (Second Triumvirate)
  2. any joint rule by three men
  3. any group of three men associated in some way
  4. the office of a triumvir
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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 triumvirate

n.

1580s, from Latin triumviratus, from triumvir (see triumvir).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper