English
contrabureaucratic
Contrabureaucratic comes from French bureaucratique ‘bureaucratic’, from Ancient Greek κρᾰ́τος ‘might’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kret-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kret-reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*krét-osreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρᾰ́τοςkrắtos‘might’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentbureaucratie‘bureaucracy’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentbureaucratique‘bureaucratic’
- English1500–presentbureaucratic
- Englishearliest quotation 1979contrabureaucratic
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kret-reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*krét-osreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρᾰ́τοςkrắtos‘might’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentbureaucratie‘bureaucracy’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentbureaucratique‘bureaucratic’
- English1500–presentbureaucratic
- Englishearliest quotation 1979contrabureaucratic
Earliest quotation: 1979, Joyce Rothschild-Whitt, The Collectivist Organization: An Alternative to Rational-Bu: “The emergence of these contrabureaucratic organizations calls for a…”
Formed from contra- + bureaucratic
Proto-Italic *komteros ‘the other of the two who meet, opposite’
Proto-Italic *komterād
Latin contrā ‘against’
English contra-
Proto-Indo-European *kret-
Proto-Indo-European *krét-os
Ancient Greek κρᾰ́τος ‘might’
French bureaucratie ‘bureaucracy’
French bureaucratique
English bureaucratic
The story
Coined by Joyce Rothschild-Whitt in 1979, from contra- + bureaucratic.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kret-
through Proto-Indo-European *krét-os
through French bureaucratie ‘bureaucracy’
Today it means
adj Self-consciously rejecting bureaucracy and pursuing alternative modes of organisation.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kret- / contrabureaucratic