gerontocracy

[ jer-uhn-tok-ruh-see, jeer- ]

noun,plural ger·on·toc·ra·cies.
  1. government by a council of elders.

  2. a governing body consisting of old people.

  1. a state or government in which old people rule.

Origin of gerontocracy

1
First recorded in 1820–30; geronto- + -cracy

Other words from gerontocracy

  • ge·ron·to·crat [juh-ron-tuh-krat], /dʒəˈrɒn təˌkræt/, noun
  • ge·ron·to·crat·ic, adjective

Words Nearby gerontocracy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gerontocracy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gerontocracy

gerontocracy

/ (ˌdʒɛrɒnˈtɒkrəsɪ) /


nounplural -cies
  1. government by old people

  2. a governing body of old people

Derived forms of gerontocracy

  • gerontocratic (dʒəˌrɒntəˈkrætɪk), adjective
  • gerontocrat, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for gerontocracy

gerontocracy

[ (jer-uhn-tok-ruh-see) ]


A society ruled by elders.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.