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Webster 1913 Edition


Interregnum

Inˊter-reg′num

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Interregnums
(#)
.
[L., fr.
inter
between +
regnum
dominion, reign. See
Reign
, and cf.
Interreign
.]
1.
The time during which a throne is vacant between the death or abdication of a sovereign and the accession of his successor.
2.
Any period during which, for any cause, the executive branch of a government is suspended or interrupted.

Webster 1828 Edition


Interregnum

INTERREG'NUM

,
Noun.
[L. inter and regnum, rule or reign.] The time in which a throne is vacant, between the death or abdication of a king and the accession of his successor. An interregnum, in strictness, can happen only in governments where the king is elective; for in hereditary kingdoms, the reign of the successor commences at the moment of his predecessor;s death or demise. The word however is used with more latitude.