Dictionary
de•moc•ra•cy
Pronunciation: (di-mok'ru-sē), [key]—
n.,
—pl. -cies.
1. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
2. a state having such a form of government:
The United States and Canada are democracies.
3. a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges.
4. political or social equality; democratic spirit.
5. the common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.