meritocracy

== English == === Etymology === From merit +‎ -o- +‎ -cracy, coined by British sociologist Alan Fox in 1956 in an article in Socialist Commentary from May 1956, used as a derisive term, and popularized by British sociologist Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington in his 1958 book The Rise of the Meritocracy. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /mɛɹɪˈtɒkɹəsi/ (US) IPA(key): /mɛɹəˈtɑkɹəsi/ === Noun === meritocracy (countable and uncountable, plural meritocracies) Rule by merit and talent. A type of society where wealth, income, and social status are assigned through competition. ==== Usage notes ==== Though widely used as a term of praise, the term was originally coined as a satire, and a critique of awarding educational achievement. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Dutch: meritocratie ==== Translations ==== === References ===