THE FIRST WORD

plutarchy

PRONUNCIATION:

(PLOO-tahr-kee) 

MEANING:

noun: 1. Rule by the wealthy. 2. A wealthy ruling class.

ETYMOLOGY:

The Greek biographer Plutarch (c. 46-120 CE) has no connection with this word. Rather, it's Ploutos, the god of riches in Greek mythology. The word (and its synonym plutocracy and the word plutolatry) are derived from Greek pluto- (wealth) + archos (ruler), from arkhein (to rule). Earliest documented use: 1643.

USAGE:

"Boston's upper crust made sure that they had an unfair advantage over their less fortunate neighbors, an advantage intended to perpetuate plutarchy and a socially stratified society."
Keith Krawczynski; Daily Life in the Colonial City; Greenwood; 2012.