Jamahiriya

Definition: Used in the formal name of Col. Moammar Gadhafi's Libya -- the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya -- the term "jamahiriya" is meant to mean "the masses," as a plural form of the Arabic "jumhuriya," or "republic." This is used to indicate a communist society ostensibly ruled by the masses, though Gadhafi's government is actually power concentrated in the hands of a non-elected ruler.