Democracy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /dɪˈmɒk.ɹə.si/

Definitions

1. A system of government in which power ultimately rests with the people, who exercise that authority either directly or through elected representatives
2. A form of governance where citizens hold supreme authority and make decisions collectively or through chosen representatives
3. A political system based on popular sovereignty in which the people govern themselves either directly or by delegation to elected officials

Etymology: Ancient Greek gave English this word in a form that was once a political insult. "Dēmokratia" was coined from "dēmos," meaning the common people or the citizen body, and "-kratia," meaning power or rule. Its earliest users were not admirers: the people of Athens were often described by their critics as ruling in this way, and the term carried a sense of mob rule rather than fair government. The word passed into Medieval Latin as "dēmocratia," then into Middle French as "democratie," and from there into English. Its meaning shifted over the centuries from a description of a particular Greek system to a general name for any government in which power rests with the people. The "demo-" part keeps its original sense of ordinary citizens, which is why the word still points to the population as the source of authority.

Synonyms: republic, self-government, popular government, representative government, liberal democracy

Antonyms: dictatorship, monarchy, autocracy, oligarchy, totalitarianism