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Origin and history of -cracy

-cracy

word-forming element forming nouns meaning "rule or government by," from French -cratie or directly from Medieval Latin -cratia, from Greek -kratia "power, might; rule, sway; power over; a power, authority," from kratos "strength" (from PIE *kre-tes- "power, strength," suffixed form of root *kar- "hard").

Productive in English from c. 1800, the connective -o- has come to be viewed as part of it.

Entries linking to -cracy

androcracy(n.)

"rule or supremacy of men," 1883; see andro- "man, male" + -cracy "rule or government by." Related: Androcratic.

aristocracy(n.)

1560s, "government by those who are the best citizens," from French aristocracie (Modern French aristocratie), from Late Latin aristocratia, from Greek aristokratia "government or rule of the best; an aristocracy," from aristos "best of its kind, noblest, bravest, most virtuous" (see aristo-) + abstract noun from kratos "rule, power" (see -cracy).

In early use contrasted with monarchy; after the French and American revolutions, with democracy. The meaning "rule by a privileged class, oligarchy, government by those distinguished by rank and wealth" (best-born or best-favored by fortune) is from 1570s and became paramount 17c. Hence the meaning "patrician order, the class of hereditary nobles" (1610s), and, generally, that of "persons notably superior in any way, taken collectively" (1650s).

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autocracy
1650s, "independent power, self-sustained power, self-government" (obsolete), from French autocratie, from Latinized form of Greek autokrateia "absolute rule, rule by oneself," abstract noun from autokratēs "ruling by oneself," from autos "self" (see auto-) + kratia "rule" (see -
autocrat
"absolute sovereign; ruler or monarch who holds power of government as by right, not subject to restrictions," 1800, in reference to the Russian tsars, who assumed it as a title, then to Napoleon, from French autocrate, from Latinized form of Greek autokratēs "ruling by oneself,
bureaucracy
"government by bureaus," especially "tyrannical officialdom," excessive multiplication of administrative bureaus and concentration of power in them, in reference to their tendency to interfere in private matters and be inefficient and inflexible, 1818, from French bureaucratie, c
idiosyncrasy
Sometimes confused in spelling with words in -cracy, but it is from krasis not kratos....
hour
c. 1200, "divine office prescribed for each of the seven canonical hours; the daily service at the canonical hours;" c. 1300, "time of day appointed for prayer, one of the seven canonical hours," from Old French ore, hore "canonical hour; one-twelfth of a day" (sunrise to sunset)
method
early 15c., "regular, systematic treatment of disease," from Latin methodus "way of teaching or going," from Greek methodos "scientific inquiry, method of inquiry, investigation," originally "pursuit, a following after," from meta "in pursuit or quest of" (see meta-) + hodos "a m
clobber
"to hit hard, defeat decisively," 1941, British air force slang, of unknown origin, probably related to bombing; possibly echoic. Related: Clobbered; clobbering. In late 19c. British slang an identical word principally had to do with clothing, as in clobber (n.) "clothes," (v.) "
plunder
"take goods or valuable forcibly from, take by pillage or open force," 1630s, from German plündern, from Middle High German plunderen "to plunder," originally "to take away household furniture," from plunder (n.) "household goods, clothes," also "lumber, baggage" (14c.; compare M
ink
"the black liquor with which men write" [Johnson], mid-13c., inke, from Old French enche, encre "dark writing fluid" (12c.), earlier enque (11c.), originally enca, from a shortening of Late Latin encaustum, from Late Greek enkauston. This is the neuter of the past-participle adje
providence
late 14c., "foresight, prudent anticipation, timely care or preparation," from Old French providence "divine providence, foresight" (12c.) and directly from Latin providentia "foresight, precaution, foreknowledge," abstract noun from present-participle stem of providere "look ahe

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