monarchy •\ˈmä-nər-kē also -ˌnär-\• noun : an autocracy governed by a ruler who usually inherits the authority The word monarchy has appeared in 234 New York Times articles in the past year, including on June 22 in "Spain's Chief Justice Quits Over Claims of Misusing Public Money" by Raphael Minder: MADRID - Spain's image suffered another blow on Thursday when the chief justice of the Supreme Court resigned after being accused by a fellow judge of claiming vacations as business expenses. The court's chief justice, Carlos Dívar, also quit as leader of another institution, the General Council of the Judiciary, which acts as the administrator of Spain's judiciary. Chief Justice Dívar's expense scandal came to light while the judiciary was being strained by several corruption cases against politicians from the country's main parties. The monarchy has also been tainted by the investigations, with the son-in-law of King Juan Carlos I becoming the first member of the royal family to appear in court, in February. Learn more about the word "monarchy" and see usage examples across a range of subjects on the Vocabulary dictionary.