Chapter 6 Vocabulary for the High School Student Pages pgs 244-247

Aut, Auto, "self"; Cracy, "Government"; Dem, Demo, "people";

autobiography

(n.) story of a person's life written by the person himself or herself

autocrat

autocrat

(n.) ruler exercising self-derived, absolute power; despot; dictator

autograph

(n.) person's signature written by himself or herself

automatic

(adj.) acting by itself self-regulating

automation

(n.) technique of making a process self-operating by means of built-in electronic controls

automaton

(n.) (literally, "self-acting thing") purely mechanical person following a routine; robot

autonomous

(adj.) self-governing; independent; sovereign

autonomy

(n.) right of self-government; independence; sovereignty

autopsy

(n.) (literally, "a seeing for one's self') medical examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death; postmortem examination

aristocracy

1. (n.) (literally, "government by the best") government or country governed by a small privileged upper class

2. (n.) ruling class of nobles; nobility; privileged class; gentry

autocracy

(n.) government or country governed by one individual with self-derived, unlimited power

bureaucracy

(n.) government by bureaus or groups of officials; administration characterized by excessive red tape and routine

democracy

(n.) government or country governed by the people; rule by the majority

plutocracy

plutocracy

(n.) government or country governed by the rich

technocracy

(n.) government or country governed by technical experts

aristocrat

1. (n.) advocate of aristocracy

2. (n.) member of the aristocracy; noble; patrician

Democrat

(n.) member of the Democratic Party

demagogue

(n.) political leader who stirs up the people for personal advantage; rabble-rouser

democratic

(adj.) based on the principles of democracy, or government by the people

democratize

(v.) make democratic

epidemic

(adj.) (literally, "among the people") affecting many people in an area at the same time; widespread

(n.) outbreak of a rapidly spreading, contagious disease affecting many people at the same time