acephalous

views updated May 23 2018

a·ceph·a·lous / āˈsefələs/ • adj. Zool. not having a head. ∎  having no leader or chief: an acephalous society.

acephalous

views updated May 21 2018

acephalous A term used to describe the political system of societies without centralized state authority—such as, for example, traditional African lineage political systems (see J. Middleton and and D. Tait , Tribes without Rulers, 1958)
. Authority is wielded at the level of the clan, lineage, or lineage segment. For this reason these ‘headless’ societies are often referred to by the alternative term ‘segmented’.

acephalous

views updated May 23 2018

acephalous Lacking a distinct head.

acephalous

views updated May 18 2018

acephalous Lacking a distinct head.