Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Government by five rulers.
  • noun A body of five joint rulers.
  • noun An association or federation of five governments, each ruled by a different leader.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A government vested in five persons.
  • noun A group of five rulers, or of five influential persons.
  • noun Any group of five.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A government in the hands of five persons; five joint rulers.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Government by five persons.
  • noun A governing body consisting of five persons.
  • noun A federation of five nations, each under its own government or ruler.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek pentarkhiā : penta-, penta- + -arkhiā, -archy.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

pent- + -archy

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