(from ὁμός, people, and σκηνέω, to govern), a form of government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of the people. Such were the governments of Rome and Athens of old; but the most perfect example of democracy is afforded by the United States of North America at the present day, the government of which, for the security it gives, the good order it preserves, the small burdens it imposes, and the judgment with which its foreign and domestic policy have been conducted, is deservedly considered as one of the best the world has seen.