According to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition (www.m-w.com), autarchy means absolute sovereignty, not self-sufficiency as Webster 1913 claims. When the usage of this word has changed I'm not sure but according to Merriam-Webster Autarchy has been in use since 1665. According to my two sources the word which Webster 1913 could be thinking of is autarky.
Au"tar*chy (?), n. [Gr. independence; self + to be sufficient.]
Self-sufficiency.
Milton.
© Webster 1913.
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