Bureaucrat
/ˈbjʊə.rə.kræt/noun
A government official whose work is guided by rules and procedures.
Did you know?The word grew out of French *bureau* meaning a desk or office, combined with Greek *-crat* from *kratos* meaning power, so its roots literally point to power operating from behind a desk.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
kratos
“power, strength, rule”
Late Latin
Latin
crata
“power, rule (via Greek loan elements in later learned formations)”
18th Century
French
bureaucratie
“government by offices; administrative rule by officials”
18th Century
French
bureaucrate
“an official in a bureaucracy”
Early 19th Century
English
bureaucrat
“a government official, especially one associated with administrative routine”
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