/ ˈbjʊərəkræt; NAmE ˈbjʊr-/ noun
(often disapproving ) an official working in an organization or a government department, especially one who follows the rules of the department too strictly
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 19th cent.: from French bureaucrate , from bureaucratie , from bureau , originally baize (used to cover writing desks), from Old French burel , probably from bure dark brown, based on Greek purros red.