noun /məˈnɒpəˌli,məˈnɑpəˌli/
a) A situation, by legal privilege or other agreement, in which solely one party (company, cartel etc.) exclusively provides a particular product or service, dominating that market and generally exerting powerful control over it.
A land monopoly renders its holder(s) nearly almighty in an agricultural society
b) An exclusive control over the trade or production of a commodity or service through exclusive possession.
Granting monopolies in concession constitutes a market-conform alternative to taxation for the state, while the crown sometimes bestowed a monopoly as an outrageous gift
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