despotism (n.)

1751年，“绝对权力，无限制和无限制的权威”，源自法语 despotisme； 参见 despot + -ism。到1794年，它成为“基于任意政府的政治制度”。

Tyranny is the abuse of absolute power, legal or usurped, and implies oppression. Despotism, in its earlier and still frequent meaning, does not necessarily imply either regard or disregard for the welfare of the subject; but there is also a tendency to give it essentially the same meaning as tyranny, using absolutism or autocracy where an unfavorable meaning is not intended. [Century Dictionary, 1897]

Tyranny 是对绝对权力的滥用，无论是合法的还是篡夺的，都意味着压迫。 Despotism 在其早期和仍然频繁的意义上，并不一定意味着对受众福利的关注或漠视； 但也有一种倾向，将其本质上赋予与 tyranny 完全相同的含义，在不打算使用不利含义的情况下使用 absolutism 或 autocracy。[世纪词典，1897]