Last night in Washington DC was held the 80th annual Scripps Spelling Bee. I love watching 8th-graders spell words they (and I) have never heard before. Two items of interest arose. First, the runner-up, for the second year in a row, was a Canadian, Nate Gartke of Alberta. Second, the favorite difficult word of another finalist, Isabel A. Jacobson of Wsconsin, is kakistocracy. What a marvellous word.
NOUN: Inflected forms: pl. kak·is·toc·ra·cies
Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens.
Never has there been a word so timely yet so underused.
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Motion seconded!
Lexicographer needed! Pray detail the derivation of this excellent word. I have been using "kleptocracy" as a term for this administration. It has traction because of the popular understanding of "kleptomania". Hence to describe members of the admin as a "band of kleptons" is "good" and has a touch of horror movie flavour. May a khaki- develop enough tread to climb a hill?
Whoops! Wrong button; strike that errant "h".
Etymology of kakistocracy:
kakistocracy. Dictionary.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/kakistocracy (accessed: June 02, 2007)
Word coined 1829, "government by the worst element of a society," coined on analogy of aristocracy from Greek kakistos "worst," superl. of kakos "bad" (which is perhaps related to the general IE word for "defecate") + -kratia "rule of," from kratos "strength, power, rule" (see -cracy).
A loud Purrr-r for Luna.
Perhaps we can construct a fecal flavored pejorative for the Bush appointees (worst) that coincides with with the thieves that advised their appointment.
Kakistan-on-the-Potomac for the RNC? No, no. That is Klepton territory. Kakisian economics? No, the kleptocracy rules economic theory from the Enterprise Institute.
Heckuva kakiester, Brownie?
Some etymologically-inclined friends and I came up with the combined term "kleptoplutokakistocracy" to describe the current administration after it managed to re-install itself. Not sure if it's legal, but for sure it's accurate....
Blimey! Tamram, that's poetic and accurate.
Rich thieves ruling thru incompetents- or would that be "incompetence"?
Are they goin' to drop Libby down the hole? If he gets the royal pardon can we call the rest of the rogues "unpardoned co-conspirators?
Wow, that is a great word! Thank you.
One small comment about your original post: participants in spelling bees are typically given a list of words in advance from which the contest words are taken.