n.
Pronunciation: ˌ mer- ə - ' tä-kr ə -s ē
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -cies
Etymology: 1 merit + -o- + -cracy
Date: 1958
1 : a system in which the talented are chosen and moved ahead on the basis of their achievement
2 : leadership selected on the basis of intellectual criteria
– mer · it · o · crat · ic \ ˌ mer- ə -t ə - ' kra-tik \ adjective