triarchy

triarchy [trahy-ahr-kee] ExamplesWord Origin noun, plural tri·ar·chies.

1. government by three persons.
2. a set of three joint rulers; a triumvirate.
3. a country divided into three governments.
4. a group of three countries or districts, each under its own ruler.

Origin of triarchy First recorded in 1595–1605, triarchy is from the Greek word triarchía triumvirate. See tri-, -archy Examples from the Web for triarchy Historical Examples of triarchy

Triarchy, trī′ar-ki, n. government by three persons: a state governed by three persons.

Chambers’s Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)

Various

British Dictionary definitions for triarchy triarchy noun plural -chies

1. government by three people; a triumvirate
2. a country ruled by three people
3. an association of three territories each governed by its own ruler
4. any of the three such territories