Honors English I Vocabulary Lesson 18: Governing and authority

Autonomy (noun)Independence; the quality or condition of being self-governing. Example: Perhaps the most important difference between elementary and secondary school students is the greater amount of autonomy given to the latter.

despot (noun) a. A ruler having absolute power or authority. b. A person who exercises power oppressively; a tyrant. Example: After Napoleon declared himself Emperor of France in 1804, he ruled as a despot, answerable to no one but himself.

Feudal (adjective) a. Characteristic of the social and economic system of medieval Western Europe b. Imposing, impressive, or imperious in the manner of a medieval lord Example: Feudal societies were based upon contractual obligations between lords and their vassals.

hegemony (noun) a. Dominion or control, particularly of one country over others. b. Dominant influence or authority Example: In the sixteenth century, Spain sought hegemony over all the new world.

Hierarchy (noun) An order of persons or entities classified according to authority, rank, or importance. Example: The hierarchy of an American corporation would include chief executive and other senior officers.

Prerogative (noun) a. A right or privilege, particularly a hereditary or official one, held by a person or group. Example: The President has the prerogative of vetoing bills passed by Congress.

Regime (noun) A government or any other administrative organ in power Example: Many regimes in South America have been unstable.

Sovereign (noun) The chief state, usually in a monarchy. (adjective) a. Self-governing; independent b. Having the highest rank or supreme power Example: Tsar Nikolai II was the last sovereign in Russia

Totalitarian (adjective) Designating a form of government in which one person or party has absolute power to the exclusion of any opposition Example: Communist nations tend to be totalitarian.

Usurp (trans. verb) To seize and retain the rights, power, property, or position of another without legal authority. Example: The barbarian hordes swept through Rome in the fifth century to usurp the territory of the Roman citizenry.