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bureaucracy

Etymology and origin of the English word bureaucracy

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Formation
Borrowing
Borrowed from
French bureaucratie

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bjʊəˈɹɒk.ɹə.si/ (UK); /bjʊˈɹɑ.kɹə.si/, /bjɚˈɹɑ.kɹə.si/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French bureaucratie,[2][3][4][5] from French bureau (“office, desk”) + -cratie (“rule”),[2][3][4] coined by the French economist Jean Claude Marie Vincent de Gournay (1712–1759) on the model of démocratie and aristocratie.[4] The second element is from the Greek suffix -kratía “power”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Government by bureaus or departments; officialism; and government officials collectively (1818).[6][4][3]

Semantic evolution

From the start the word carried a critical edge, describing an excessive multiplication of offices and a concentration of power in them, with a tendency to meddle and to be inefficient and inflexible.[4][5] It also names the body of officials neutrally,[3][5][1] and, in sociology, a system marked by specialized functions, fixed rules and a hierarchy of authority.[3][1] The most common informal sense is excessive red tape.[5][1]

Timeline

  • 1818 – government by bureaus; officials collectively.[6][4][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Administration of a government through departments staffed by non-elected officials.
  2. The body of officials and administrators, especially of a government.
  3. A system of administration with specialized functions, fixed rules and a hierarchy of authority.
  4. Administration marked by red tape, rigid routine and a proliferation of offices.

Word family

  • bureaucrat
  • bureaucratese
  • bureaucratic
  • bureaucratize

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Bureaucracy.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/bureaucracy. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·