Tyranny

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language

·noun Severity; rigor; inclemency.

II. Tyranny ·noun Cruel government or discipline; as, the tyranny of a schoolmaster.

III. Tyranny ·noun 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.