ancien régime
UK [ɑ̃siæ̃ ʁeʒim] · US /ɑn.sjɛn ɹeɪˈʒim/ noun, proper noun
Forms anciens régimes the Ancien Régime
- noun (derogatory, politics) A system of government that has been supplanted by another, particularly a state of feudalism with an absolute monarchy supported by the doctrine of divine right with the explicit consent of an established church.
- proper noun (historical) The aristocratic social and political system established in France under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties, overthrown by the French Revolution of 1789.
- proper noun (historical, by extension) Any other political system overthrown in the wake of the French Revolution. “the Ancien Régime of Switzerland (1648–1798)”
Synonyms
Etymology
From French ancien régime (“former rule, former order”); the term first appeared in English print in 1794.
Borrowed from French Ancien Régime, from ancien (“former”) + régime (“rule, order”). The word first appeared in English in print in 1794.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “ancien régime”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details