Tyrant

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Tyrant \Tyr"ant\ (t[imac]"rant), n. [OE. tirant, tiraunt,
     tyraunt, OF. tiran, tirant (probably from confusion with the
     p. pr. of verbs), F. tyran, L. tyrannus, Gr. ty`rannos,
     originally, an absolute sovereign, but afterwards, a severe
     or cruel ruler.]
     1. An absolute ruler; a sovereign unrestrained by law or


        constitution; a usurper of sovereignty.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: Free governments [in Greece] having superseded the old
           hereditary sovereignties (basilei^ai), all who obtained
           absolute power in a state were called ty`rannoi,
           tyrants, or rather despots; -- for the term rather
           regards the irregular way in which the power was
           gained, whether force or fraud, than the way in which
           it was exercised, being applied to the mild
           Pisistratus, but not to the despotic kings of Persia.
           However, the word soon came to imply reproach, and was
           then used like our tyrant. --Liddell & Scott.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Specifically, a monarch, or other ruler or master, who
        uses power to oppress his subjects; a person who exercises
        unlawful authority, or lawful authority in an unlawful
        manner; one who by taxation, injustice, or cruel
        punishment, or the demand of unreasonable services,
        imposes burdens and hardships on those under his control,
        which law and humanity do not authorize, or which the
        purposes of government do not require; a cruel master; an
        oppressor. "This false tyrant, this Nero." --Chaucer.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Love, to a yielding heart, is a king, but to a
              resisting, is a tyrant.               --Sir P.
                                                    Sidney.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Zool.) Any one of numerous species of American
        clamatorial birds belonging to the family {Tyrannidae}; --
        called also {tyrant bird}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: These birds are noted for their irritability and
           pugnacity, and for the courage with which they attack
           rapacious birds far exceeding them in size and
           strength. They are mostly plain-colored birds, but
           often have a bright-colored crown patch. A few species,
           as the scissorstail, are handsomely colored. The
           kingbird and pewee are familiar examples.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     {Tyrant flycatcher} (Zool.), any one of numerous species of
        tyrants which have a flattened bill, toothed at the tip,
        and resemble the true flycatchers in habits. The Acadian
        flycatcher ({Empidonax Acadicus}) and the vermilion
        flycatcher ({Pyrocephalus rubineus}) are examples.
  
     {Tyrant shrike} (Zool.), any one of numerous species of
        American tyrants of the genus {Tyrannus} having a strong
        toothed bill and resembling the shrikes in habits. The
        kingbird is an example.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Tyrant \Ty"rant\, v. i.
     To act like a tyrant; to play the tyrant; be to tyrannical.
     [Obs.] --Fuller.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  tyrant
       n 1: a cruel and oppressive dictator [syn: {autocrat}, {despot}]
       2: in ancient Greece, a ruler who had seized power without
          legal right to it
       3: any person who exercises power in a cruel way; "his father
          was a tyrant"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  29 Moby Thesaurus words for "tyrant":
     Simon Legree, absolute monarch, absolute ruler, all-powerful ruler,
     arrogator, autarch, authoritarian, autocrat, bully, caesar,
     commissar, czar, despot, dictator, disciplinarian, driver, duce,
     hard master, martinet, oligarch, oppressor, overlord, pharaoh,
     slave driver, stickler, strong man, totalitarian, usurper,
     warlord