Ol"i*gar"chy (?), n.; pl. Oligarchies (#). [Gr. ; few, little + to rule, govern: cf.F. oligarchie.]
A form of government in which the supreme power is placed in the hands of a few persons; also, those who form the ruling few.
All oligarchies, wherein a few men domineer, do what they list.
Burton.
© Webster 1913.