1570s, from chief (n.) + -dom.

A political system or “level of integration” in which a central office, often hereditary, possesses formal political power and social prestige through some degree of redistributive control over surplu [..]

Kin-based form of sociopolitical organization between the tribe and the state. It comes with differential access to resources and a permanent political structure. The relations among villages as well as among individuals are unequal, with smaller villages under the authority of leaders in larger villages; it has a two-level settlement hierarchy.

the territory and people lead by a hereditary chief; also, a common term for a form of human social organization that incorporates multiple communities into a single hierarchical social unit that has, [..]

A term used to describe a society that operates on the principle of ranking, i.e. differential social status. Different lineages are graded on a scale of prestige, calculated by how closely related on [..]