Main Entry: bu·reau·cra·cy

Pronunciation: \byu̇-ˈrä-krə-sē, byə-, byər-ˈä-\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural bu·reau·cra·cies

Etymology: French bureaucratie, from bureau + -cratie -cracy

Date: 1818

1 a : a body of nonelective government officials b : an administrative policy-making group
2 : government characterized by specialization of functions, adherence to fixed rules, and a hierarchy of authority
3 : a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation