Why this word is great
TANISTRY — [Noun] A Celtic system of succession where leadership passed not by birthright but by election among eligible kin. From tanist (from Irish tánaiste, "second-in-command") + -ry (denoting a system or practice). Unlike "primogeniture" (which chains power to an accident of birth order) or "elective monarchy" (which opens the throne to outsiders), tanistry balanced blood with merit—a dynastic democracy. It was the murmuring of elders in torchlit halls, the weighing of a cousin’s courage against an uncle’s cunning, the uneasy balance between tradition and the need for a leader who won’t get everyone killed. We pretend our modern systems are fairer, but they, too, are just rituals for avoiding chaos.