ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bureaucrat

n.
C1 Advanced US //ˈbjʊɹəˌkɹæt// UK //bjˈɔːɹəʊkɹˌæt// bu·reau·crat

n. a person who works in a large government or company and follows strict rules and procedures. They often deal with paperwork and official forms.

n. a person who works in a large organization, particularly a government, and is responsible for the routine administrative tasks of the organization.


SIMPLE

The bureaucrat processed my passport application quickly.

CONTEXTUAL

The new bureaucrat spent hours reviewing the safety reports before signing the final approval.

COMPLEX

While the bureaucrat was efficient in following protocol, critics argued that the rigid adherence to red tape stifled the very innovation the department was meant to foster.

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥ Proto-Hellenic *pāwər Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr) Proto-Indo-European *-rós Ancient Greek -ρός (-rós) Ancient Greek πῠρρός (pŭrrhós)bor. Latin burrus Latin burra Old French *bure Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -ulus Latin -ellus Old French -el Old French burel French bureau Proto-Indo-European *kret- Ancient Greek κρᾰ́τος (krắtos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek -κρᾰτῐ́ᾱ (-krătĭ́ā)lbor. French -cratie French bureaucratie French bureaucratebor. English bureaucrat From French bureaucrate, equivalent to bureau + -crat.

Idioms1 entry

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