Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The political and social system that existed in France before the Revolution of 1789.
- noun A sociopolitical or other system that no longer exists.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun pejorative A system of government long since supplanted by another, particularly a state of
feudalism with an absolutemonarchy supported by the doctrine ofdivine right with the explicit consent of an establishedchurch .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[French : ancien, old + régime, regime.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From French ancien régime ("former rule, former order"); the term first appeared in English print in 1794.
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Examples
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