Theocracy
/θiˈɒk.rə.si/noun
A form of government in which priests or religious leaders rule in the name of a deity.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek roots meaning “god” + “power/rule,” and it was coined in antiquity to describe a government whose authority was claimed to come directly from the divine.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
theokratia
“rule by a god or divine rule”
1st Century CE
Greek
theokratia
“a term used by the Jewish historian Josephus for government under divine authority”
Late Latin
Latin
theocratia
“a borrowed scholarly form”
17th Century
English
theocracy
“government ruled by priests or by divine authority”
Modern English
English
theocracy
“a system of government in which religious authority governs the state”
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