n.
Pronunciation: plü- ' tä-kr ə -s ē
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -cies
Etymology: Greek ploutokratia, from ploutos wealth; akin to Greek plein to sail, float ― more at FLOW
Date: 1652
1 : government by the wealthy
2 : a controlling class of the wealthy
– plu · to · crat \ ' plü-t ə - ˌ krat \ noun
– plu · to · crat · ic \ ˌ plü-t ə - ' kra-tik \ adjective
– plu · to · crat · i · cal · ly \ -ti-k( ə -)l ē \ adverb