English
critocracy
Critocracy comes from Ancient Greek κριτής ‘judge’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sift, separate’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘to sift, separate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kri-n-yé-tireconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kríňňōreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρῑ́νωkrī́nō‘to decide, judge’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκριτήςkritḗs‘judge’root of κρῑ́νω
- Englishearliest quotation 1912critocracy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krey-‘to sift, separate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kri-n-yé-tireconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kríňňōreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρῑ́νωkrī́nō‘to decide, judge’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκριτήςkritḗs‘judge’root of κρῑ́νω
- Englishearliest quotation 1912critocracy
Earliest quotation: 1912, Herman Isidore Stern, A Socialist Catechism: “In the United States it may be called a…”
The story
Neologism, formed from Ancient Greek κριτής (kritḗs, “judge”) + -ocracy.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sift, separate’
certain, secretary, secret, crime, criminal, crisis, discrimination, discretion, discrete, critic, discreet, discriminate, riddle, discern, excrement, endocrine, excretion, incriminate, rime, incrimination, excrete, ridder, recrimination, certitude, 45 more
through Ancient Greek κρῑ́νω ‘to decide, judge’
critique, criticize, hypocrite, criterium, 7 more
through Ancient Greek κριτής ‘judge’
Today it means
noun A system of rule by judges.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *krey- / critocracy