Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Oligarchy

Oligarchy , noun

[Greek {not transcribed}; 'oli`gos few, little + 'a`rchein to rule, govern: compare French 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