-cracy

American  

1. a combining form occurring in loanwords from Greek (aristocracy; democracy ); on this model used, with the meaning “rule,” “government,” “governing body,” to form abstract nouns from stems of other origin.

   mobocracy; bureaucracy.

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-cracy British  

combining form

1. indicating a type of government or rule See also -crat

   plutocracy

   mobocracy

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Usage

What does -cracy mean? The combining form -cracy is used like a suffix meaning “rule” or "government." It is often used in technical terms, especially in sociology.The form -cracy comes from Greek krátos, meaning “rule” and “strength.”What are variants of -cracy?While -cracy doesn't have any variants, it is related to the form -crat, as in plutocrat. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use -crat article.

Etymology

Origin of -cracy

< Middle French -cracie (now -cratie ) < Late Latin -cratia < Greek -kratia, equivalent to krát ( os ) rule, strength, might (akin to hard ) + -ia -y ³