Dictionary
ol•i•gar•chy
Pronunciation: (ol'i-gär"kē), [key]—
n.,
—pl. -chies.
1. a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.
2. a state or organization so ruled.
3. the persons or class so ruling.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.