democracy
/dɪˈmɑ.kɹə.si/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.51 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A government under the direct or representative rule of the people of its jurisdiction.
Countable
Example Sentences
- "And the essential value and power of Democracy consists in this,—that it combines, as far as possible, power and organization ; THE SPIRIT, MANHOOD, is at one with THE BODY, ORGANIZATION. [....] Democracy is Government by the People."
- "The period, that is, which marks the transition from absolutism or aristocracy to democracy will mark also the transition from absolutist or autocratic methods of nomination to democratic methods."
- "A century ago there was in the Old World only one tiny spot in which the working of democracy could be studied. A few of the ancient rural cantons of Switzerland had recovered their freedom after the fall of Napoleon, and were governing themselves as they had done from the earlier Middle Ages[...]. Nowhere else in Europe did the people rule."
- "Everyone who wanted to speak did so. It was democracy in its purest form."
- "On this day in 1977, Taiwan witnessed a watershed moment in its march to democracy: the Chungli Incident. Violence broke out on the night of the largest-yet elections in the country’s history. Some 10,000 people took to the streets in protest following reports of election fraud on the part of the ruling Kuomintang."
- "“If you have rule of the bureaucrat — if the bureaucracy is in charge, then what meaning does democracy actually have?” Musk said during his 30-minute appearance with Trump, where he rebuffed critics who said he’s the one undermining democratic institutions."
Etymology
From Middle French democratie (French démocratie), from Medieval Latin dēmocratia, from Ancient Greek δημοκρᾰτῐ́ᾱ (dēmokrătĭ́ā). By surface analysis, demo- (“people”) + -cracy (“rule”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: democratie, dēmocratia, δημοκρᾰτῐ́ᾱ
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /dɪˈmɑ.kɹə.si/
- British English: /dɪˈmɒk.ɹə.si/
Usage
- Uncountable
- Countable
- American usage
- Obsolete
Inflected Forms
democracies (plural)
the Democracy (canonical)