pecking order

== English == === Etymology === Calque of German Hackordnung. === Noun === pecking order (plural pecking orders) (zoology) The natural ranking of social status and dominance occurring in a group of birds. (figuratively, by extension) The usually informal hierarchy of authority, command, or social status, as determined by the especially natural propensity for domination of different members of a specific group over each other, such as older brothers and sisters over their younger siblings. Synonym: hierarchy Antonym: equality ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ====