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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

Tȳr'an-ny, n.

noun

n. [Fr. tyrannie, Pr. & It. tirannia, Sp. tirania, Pr. & Pg. tyrannia, Gr. τυραννία, τυραννίς, Lat. tyrannis. See TYRANT.]

  1. The government or authority of a tyrant; 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.
  2. Cruel government or discipline; as, the tyranny of a master.
  3. Severity; rigor; inclemency.

The tyranny of the open night's too rough For nature to endure. Shak.