tyrannis

tyrannis

Latin

Etymology 1

From Ancient Greek τυραννίς (turannís).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /tyˈran.nis/, [t̪ʏˈränːɪs̠]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /tiˈran.nis/, [t̪iˈränːis]

Noun

tyrannis f (genitive tyrannidis); third declension

1. tyranny; arbitrary or despotic rule
   • 1313, Dante Alighieri, “Liber I [Book 1]”, in De monarchia [About monarchy]:

     Genus humanum solum imperante Monarcha, sui, et non alterius gratia, est: tunc enim solum Politiae diriguntur obliquae, democratiae scilicet, oligarchiae atque tyrannides, quae in servitute cogunt genus humanum.

     Only when the monarch rules, mankind exists for his own sake, and not of others: for only then are the twisted governments rightened, namely democracies, oligarchies and tyrannies, which force mankind into slavery.

2. (by extension) the region ruled by a tyrant

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	tyrannis	tyrannidēs
Genitive	tyrannidis	tyrannidum
Dative	tyrannidī	tyrannidibus
Accusative	tyrannidem	tyrannidēs
Ablative	tyrannide	tyrannidibus
Vocative	tyrannis	tyrannidēs

Related terms

• tyrannicē
• tyrannicus
• tyrannus

Descendants

• English: tyranny

Etymology 2

Inflected form of tyrannus (“tyrant, ruler”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /tyˈran.niːs/, [t̪ʏˈränːiːs̠]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /tiˈran.nis/, [t̪iˈränːis]

Noun

tyrannīs

1. dative/ablative plural of tyrannus

Related terms

• sic semper tyrannīs (Thus always to tyrants, shouted by John Wilkes Booth after assassinating Abraham Lincoln.)

References

• “tyrannis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “tyrannis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• tyrannis in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• tyrannis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to take upon oneself absolute power: imperium, regnum, tyrannidem occupare
    
  • to aspire to a despotism: tyrannidem concupiscere
    
  • to establish oneself as despot, tyrant by some means: tyrannidem sibi parere aliqua re