Bureaucracy

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /bjʊəˈrÉ’krÉ™si/
• US IPA: /bjʊˈrɑːkrÉ™si/

Alternative forms

• bureaucratie
• bureau-ocracy

Origin

bureau + -cracy, from French bureaucratie, coined by Jean Claude Marie Vincent de Gournay (died 1759) from bureau ("office") + -cratie ("rule of")

Full definition of bureaucracy

Noun

1. Structure and regulations in place to control activity. Usually in large organizations and government operations.

Related terms

• bureaucrat
• bureaucratic