1. The government or authority of a tyrant; a country governed by an absolute ruler; hence, arbitrary or
despotic exercise of power; exercise of power over subjects and others with a rigor not authorized by law
or justice, or not requisite for the purposes of government.
"Sir," would he [Seneca] say, "an emperor mote need
Be virtuous and hate tyranny."
Chaucer. 2. Cruel government or discipline; as, the tyranny of a schoolmaster.
3. Severity; rigor; inclemency.
The tyranny of the open night's too rough
For nature to endure.
Shak. Tyrant
(Tyr"ant) n. [OE. tirant, tiraunt, tyraunt, OF. tiran, tirant (probably from confusion with the p.
pr. of verbs), F. tyran, L. tyrannus, Gr. originally, an absolute sovereign, but afterwards, a severe or
cruel ruler.]
1. An absolute ruler; a sovereign unrestrained by law or constitution; a usurper of sovereignty.
Free governments [in Greece] having superseded the old hereditary sovereignties all who obtained absolute
power in a state were called ty\rannoi, tyrants, or rather despots; — for the term rather regards the
irregular way in which the power was gained, whether force or fraud, than the way in which it was exercised,
being applied to the mild Pisistratus, but not to the despotic kings of Persia. However, the word soon
came to imply reproach, and was then used like our tyrant. Liddell & Scott.
2. Specifically, a monarch, or other ruler or master, who uses power to oppress his subjects; a person
who exercises unlawful authority, or lawful authority in an unlawful manner; one who by taxation, injustice,
or cruel punishment, or the demand of unreasonable services, imposes burdens and hardships on those
under his control, which law and humanity do not authorize, or which the purposes of government do
not require; a cruel master; an oppressor. "This false tyrant, this Nero." Chaucer.
Love, to a yielding heart, is a king, but to a resisting, is a tyrant.
Sir P. Sidney. 3. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of American clamatorial birds belonging to the family Tyrannidæ; —
called also tyrant bird.
These birds are noted for their irritability and pugnacity, and for the courage with which they attack rapacious
birds far exceeding them in size and strength. They are mostly plain-colored birds, but often have a
bright-colored crown patch. A few species, as the scissorstail, are handsomely colored. The kingbird
and pewee are familiar examples.
Tyrant flycatcher (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of tyrants which have a flattened bill, toothed at
the tip, and resemble the true flycatchers in habits. The Acadian flycatcher (Empidonax Acadicus) and
the vermilion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubineus) are examples. — Tyrant shrike (Zoöl.), any one of
numerous species of American tyrants of the genus Tyrannus having a strong toothed bill and resembling
the strikes in habits. The kingbird is an example.
Tyrant
(Ty"rant) v. i. To act like a tyrant; to play the tyrant; to tyrannical. [Obs.] Fuller.
Tyre
(Tyre) [Tamil tayir.] Curdled milk. [India]
Tyre
(Tyre), n. & v. Attire. See 2d and 3d Tire. [Obs.]
Tyre
(Tyre), v. i. To prey. See 4th Tire. [Obs.]
Tyrian
(Tyr"i*an) a. [L. Tyrius, from Tyrus Tyre, Gr. .]
