Mandarinate

Origin

mandarin + -ate

Full definition of mandarinate

Noun

1. The collective body of officials (mandarins) or persons of rank in historical China.
2. A political form of rule by mandarins
3. The status of holding a position as a mandarin.
4. (figuratively) A type of government marked by excessive bureaucracy and Byzantine regulations.
• 2011, Ian Buruma, Europe without Turkey:Far from being a model of democracy, the EU is associated with an arrogant, out-of-touch mandarinate that issues rules and edicts with paternalistic and highhanded disregard for ordinary citizens.