\Tyr"ant\, n. [OE. tirant, tiraunt, tyraunt, OF. tiran,
tirant (probably from confusion with the p. pr. of verbs), F.
tyran, L. tyrannus, Gr. ?, originally, an absolute sovereign,
but afterwards, a severe or cruel ruler.]
1. An absolute ruler; a sovereign unrestrained by law or
   constitution; a usurper of sovereignty.

Note: Free governments [in Greece] having superseded the old
      hereditary sovereignties (basilei^ai), all who obtained
      absolute power in a state were called ty\rannoi,
      tyrants, or rather despots; -- for the term rather
      regards the irregular way in which the power was
      gained, whether force or fraud, than the way in which
      it was exercised, being applied to the mild
      Pisistratus, but not to the despotic kings of Persia.
      However, the word soon came to imply reproach, and was
      then used like our tyrant. --Liddell & Scott.

2. Specifically, a monarch, or other ruler or master, who
   uses power to oppress his subjects; a person who exercises
   unlawful authority, or lawful authority in an unlawful
   manner; one who by taxation, injustice, or cruel
   punishment, or the demand of unreasonable services,
   imposes burdens and hardships on those under his control,
   which law and humanity do not authorize, or which the
   purposes of government do not require; a cruel master; an
   oppressor. ``This false tyrant, this Nero.'' --Chaucer.

         Love, to a yielding heart, is a king, but to a
         resisting, is a tyrant.               --Sir P.
                                               Sidney.

3. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of American
   clamatorial birds belonging to the family {Tyrannid[ae]};
   -- called also {tyrant bird}.

Note: These birds are noted for their irritability and
      pugnacity, and for the courage with which they attack
      rapacious birds far exceeding them in size and
      strength. They are mostly plain-colored birds, but
      often have a bright-colored crown patch. A few species,
      as the scissorstail, are handsomely colored. The
      kingbird and pewee are familiar examples.

{Tyrant flycatcher} (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species
   of tyrants which have a flattened bill, toothed at the
   tip, and resemble the true flycatchers in habits. The
   Acadian flycatcher ({Empidonax Acadicus}) and the
   vermilion flycatcher ({Pyrocephalus rubineus}) are
   examples.

{Tyrant shrike} (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of
   American tyrants of the genus {Tyrannus} having a strong
   toothed bill and resembling the strikes in habits. The
   kingbird is an example.

\Ty"rant\, v. i.
To act like a tyrant; to play the tyrant; to tyrannical.
[Obs.] --Fuller.