n.
Pronunciation: byu ̇ - ' rä-kr ə -s ē , by ə -, by ə r- ' ä-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -cies
Etymology: French bureaucratie, from bureau + -cratie -cracy
Date: 1818
1 a : a body of nonelective government officials b : an administrative policy-making group
2 : government characterized by specialization of functions, adherence to fixed rules, and a hierarchy of authority
3 : a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation