-crat

1. a combining form meaning “ruler,” “member of a ruling body,” “advocate of a particular form of rule,” used in the formation of compound words:

   autocrat; technocrat.

-crat

combining form

1. indicating a person who takes part in or is a member of a form of government or class See also -cracy

   democrat

   technocrat

Derived Forms

• -cratic, combining_form:in_adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of -crat¹

< Greek -kratēs as in autokratḗs autocrat; replacing -crate < French < Greek, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of -crat¹

from Greek -kratēs, from -kratia -cracy

Example Sentences

But on day eight, once it was clear that she had cleared the bar and was moving on to the “ ’crat chat” phase, Tamzin and her mom celebrated by going to the beach.

From Slate

“Lord, we need passion and excitement,” said state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a prominent Demo­crat in South Carolina, one of the early-voting states in the race for the nomination.

From Washington Post

In late 2007, after that effort foundered, Representative Xavier Becerra, a Los Angeles Demo­crat, approached Representative Sam Johnson, a Republican from the northern suburbs of Dallas.

From New York Times

Rendered incoherent, Abbi was only able to muster a nonsensical "Hello. Proud Demo. Crat. College. Aquarius. I pegged" as she shook Clinton's hand. 

From Los Angeles Times

In contrast, acetylcarnitine had no effect on muscles from mice that were missing CrAT.

From Science Magazine

Words That Use -crat

What does -crat mean?

The combining form –crat is used like a suffix meaning variously “ruler,” “member of a ruling body,” or “advocate (supporter) of a form of rule.” It is occasionally used in technical terms, especially in sociology.

The form –crat ultimately comes from Greek krátos, meaning “rule” and “strength.”

What are variants of –crat?

While –crat doesn’t have any variants, it is related to the form –cracy, as in plutocracy. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for –cracy.

Examples of -crat

An example of a familiar word that features –crat is democrat, “an advocate of democracy.” Democrat comes from French démocrate, which uses the equivalent form of –crat.

The demo– part of the word means “people,” from Greek dêmos. The form –crat means, among other things, “advocate of a form of rule.” Democrat literally means “advocate for government by the people.”

What are some words that use the combining form –crat?

• aristocrat (using the equivalent form of –cracy in Greek)
• bureaucrat
• gerontocrat
• kakistocrat
• meritocrat
• plutocrat (using the equivalent form of –cracy in Greek)
• technocrat
• theocrat

What are some other forms that –crat may be commonly confused with?

• -arch
• -core
• -cyte

Break it down!

The combining form klepto– means “thief.” With this in mind, what kind of person is known as a kleptocrat?