bureaucracy

Definition

Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers.

Etymology

From bureau + -cracy, from French bureaucratie, coined by Jean Claude Marie Vincent de Gournay from bureau (“office”) + -cratie (“rule of”).

Example Sentences

• "However, when Britain left the European Union, ferries started to ply a direct sea link from Ireland, to save hauliers from custom's bureaucracy of driving via Britain."
• "At that time the administration replaced the system of patronage in the civil service with a bureaucracy."
• "Each of the most provocative selections is facing criticism that they lack the expertise and experience to run the vast, specialized bureaucracies that would be under their control."

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