different between government vs heterarchy

English

Alternative forms

• (nonstandard) gub'mint, gubmint, gummint, gubbamint, guvmint, guvment, gumment, guv'ment, guv'mint, gubbermint, gubment, gub'ment, govermint, guvverment, guvvermint, guverment, guvermint

Etymology

From Middle English governement, from Old French governement (modern French gouvernement), from governer (see govern) + -ment.

Morphologically govern +? -ment

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???v?(n)m?nt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /???v?(n)m?nt/
• Hyphenation: gov?ern?ment

Noun

government (countable and uncountable, plural governments)

1. The body with the power to make and/or enforce laws to control a country, land area, people or organization.

   British government has historically centred exclusively on London.
2. (grammar, linguistics) The relationship between a word and its dependents.
3. The state and its administration viewed as the ruling political power.
4. (uncountable) The management or control of a system.
5. The tenure of a chief of state.

Usage notes

In the United States, "government" is considered to be divided into three branches; the legislature (the House of Representatives and the Senate) which makes law, the Administration (under the President) which runs sections of government within the law, and the Courts, which adjudicate on matters of the law. This is a much wider meaning of "government" than exists in other countries where the term "government" means the ruling political force of the prime minister and his/her cabinet ministers (what Americans would call the Administration). In Britain, the administrative organs of the nation are collectively referred to as "the state". In Canada government is used in both senses and neither state nor administration are used. Applied to many countries in continental Europe (when using English), the British usage is common.

In Britain, the word is often capitalised when referring to the UK government.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

• ocracy

English

Etymology

heter- (“other, different”) +? -archy (“rule”); equivalent to Katharevousa ????????? (?terarchía) / Dimotiki ????????? (eterarchía)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: h??t?räk?, IPA^(key): /?h?t????k?/

Noun

heterarchy (countable and uncountable, plural heterarchies)

1. (uncountable) The rule of an alien; rule from without; government by an extraterritorial power.

   Despite installing puppet governments in the marches, the subjects of the empire’s conquered territories were still very conscious of living under heterarchy.

2. (countable) An example of this government.

   The proposed liberation of our largely undeveloped economy goes too far — the resulting foreign dominance of our markets would make us a heterarchy.

3. A system of organization where the elements of the organization are unranked (non-hierarchical) or where they possess the potential to be ranked a number of different ways.

   When a group operates as a heterarchy, everyone is a leader in their own domain.

Derived terms

• heterarchic

Related terms

• heterarch
• heterarchical

References