05 每个-cracy都是个有故事的单词

近些年来，《中国成语大会》、《中国汉字听写大会》等节目风靡荧幕。

面对一些生僻的汉语知识，选手们行云流水、信手拈来的表现让观众不禁拍案叫绝。随后，台下评委对这些文字背后故事再来一番娓娓道来，更是春风化雨，令人感慨汉语言文学的博大和精妙。

在英语里，这样的博大和精妙同样存在。

每一个英语学习者一定都用到过“词根”去拓展自己的单词量。如果你顺着它们追根溯源，就能惊喜地发现，“词根”不仅能帮助你迅速、准确地记住单词，更为你打开了一扇又一扇新世界的大门。

这一次，让我们来看一个起源于希腊、衍生了许多英文单词的词根：

The combining form –cracy denotes a particular form of government, rule, or influence, and originates in the Greek –kratia, meaning ‘power, rule'.The suffix–cracy did not, however, find its way into English directly via Greek, but has rather been borrowed from French –cratie.

以“-cracy”组合结尾的单词都表示政府、统治或者影响的一种形式。它起源于希腊语“-kratia”，表示“权力、统治”。不过“-cracy”的词根没有直接由希腊语传入英语，而是由法语词根“-cratie”借用而来。

翻阅字典，我们可以发现许多以“-cracy”结尾的单词。

Some of them, like democracy, are in frequent use, and will doubtlessly be well-known to you.Others, like logocracy, may be more obscure–or they might've even entered the language as nonce words.

它们中的一些，比如“民主”，被频繁使用，你肯定也对这些词很熟悉。其他像“logocracy”（文字统治）这样的词就生僻晦涩得多——它们有些甚至是临时造出的词语。

虽然这些词含义隐晦，又很少被拿来使用，但是如果你去探索一下它们背后的故事，就会发现自己在不经意间推开了一扇扇历史和文化的大门。

Technocracy Movement

技术型专家治国运动

在美国“大萧条”前，技术型专家治国运动曾经在1930年代早期短暂地风靡美国和加拿大。那时正值第一次和第二次世界大战间隙，科学技术飞速进步。

The technocrats proposed replacing politicians and businesspeople with scientists and engineers who had the technical expertise to manage the economy.

技术型专家治国论者建议，拥有专业技术的科学家和工程师应该去代替政客和商人来掌管经济。

Plantocracy & Slavocracy

大庄园主统治和奴隶主统治

Plantocracy在dictionary.com的解释为：1.government by plantation owners.由大庄园主组成的政府2.a ruling class of plantation owners.由大庄园主组成的统治阶级 Slavocracy在dictionary.com的解释为：1.the rule or domination of slaveholders: the slavocracy of the old plantations.奴隶主占统治或支配地位：旧种植园的奴隶主统治2.a dominating body of slaveholders.奴隶主统治体制

A plantocracy, also known as a slavocracy, is a ruling class, political order or government composed of (or dominated by) plantation owners.

Plantocray，也叫Slavocracy，是一个由种植园主组成或控制的统治阶级、政治秩序或政府。

一些“新世界”（历史上欧洲对美洲大陆的称呼）的早期欧洲殖民地大部分实行Plantocracy（庄园主统治），这种体制通常由少量的欧洲殖民者和大量的西非奴隶人口组成。

在废奴运动席卷全球后，Plantocracy和Slavocracy的腐朽也终究被自由和平等的阳光驱散，退出了历史舞台。

Gerontocracy

老人政治

A gerontocracy is a form of oligarchical rule in which an entity is ruled by leaders who are significantly older than most of the adult population.

Gerontocracy是寡头政治统治的一种形式，它是指，一个政治实体被比绝大多数成年人口都要明显年长的领袖统治。

古希腊是信仰老人政治的国度之一。正如柏拉图所言：

“It is for the elder man to rule and for the younger to submit”.

“年长者统治，年轻人服从。”

The best example of this can be seen in the ancient Greek city state of Sparta, which was ruled by a Gerousia.A Gerousia was a council made up of members who were at least 60 years old and served for life.

古希腊城邦国家斯巴达被Gerousia（长老会议）统治——这是Gerontocracy最好的例子。Gerousia是由60岁及以上的成员组成的委员会，且成员终身制。

-cracy的词缀可谓是“百搭”，除了以上提到的单词，他还可以和Snob（势利小人）连用：

Snobocracy 表示“俗不可耐的人们”，“势利的人们”

和Despot（暴君、独裁者）连用：

Despotocracy 暴君统治

甚至和Angel或者Demon组成新词：

Angelocracy 天使统治

Demonocracy 恶魔统治

以下还有一些以-cracy结尾的单词和他们的意思，看看有没有你感兴趣的，动手查一查，去看看它们背后的故事吧。

adhocracy

A flexible and informal style of organization and management

albocracy

Government by white-skinned people, usually entailing discrimination against those of other colours

androcracy

The rule of man or the male

barbarocracy

Government or rule by barbarians

bureaucracy

Government by officials

chrysocracy

Rule of the wealthy

dulocracy

Government by slaves

Eurocracy

Government by Europeans of a country or region outside Europe

kleptocracy

Government by thieves

mobocracy

Government by a mob

moneyocracy

The moneyed class as a dominant political force

pigmentocracy

A system of social or class distinction based on skin colour

plutocracy

Government by the wealthy

stratocracy

Government by the army

词汇总结

denote [d?'n??t]

v.表示，指示

The combining form –cracy denotes a particular form of government, rule, or influence.

以“-cracy”组合结尾的单词都表示政府、统治或者影响的一种形式。

nonce [n?ns]

adj.临时的；特定场合的

They might've even entered the language as nonce words.

它们有些甚至是临时造出的词语。

technocrat['t?kn?kr?t]

n.技术统治论者；专家政治论者；技术统治

The technocrats proposed replacing politicians and businesspeople with scientists and engineers who had the technical expertise to manage the economy.

技术型专家治国论者建议，拥有专业技术的科学家和工程师应该去代替政客和商人来掌管经济。

plantation [pl?n'te??(?)n; plɑ?n-]

n.栽植；殖民；大农场；种植园

Government by plantation owners.

由大庄园主组成的政府

slavocracy[sle?'v?kr?s?]

n.拥护奴隶制度派；奴隶主统治

The rule or domination of slaveholders: the slavocracy of the old plantations.

奴隶主占统治或支配地位：旧种植园的奴隶主统治