Where does “bureaucracy” come from?
Bureaucracy comes from English bureau, from Ancient Greek -κρατία meaning rule, from Ancient Greek κράτος meaning power, ultimately from Latin burra, Latin burrus, Ancient Greek πυρρός meaning red or flame-colored, and Ancient Greek βοῦς meaning ox.
bureaucracy (English): Government by bureaus or their administrators or...
Definitions
- Government by bureaus or their administrators or...
Ancestry of “bureaucracy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | bureaucratie | bureaucracy |
| 2 | French | bureau | desk; office; ticket office |
| 3 | Middle French | burel | — |
| 4 | Old French | burel | frieze; a garment made out of frieze |
| 5 | Old French | -el | Suffix that usually denotes a masculine noun |
| 6 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 7 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |