Word To Use Today: ptochocracy.

 I'd never heard of ptochocracy until quite recently, and the chances are that you haven't, either.

What do you think it means? The -cracy bit obviously means it's going to be the rule of some person or group or other. Meritocracy, for instance, is the rule by the cleverest (more or less), and a theocracy is ruled by God (though He usually relies upon interpreters).

So, we come to ptochocracy. Now, what's a really unlikely group of people, or person, to have in charge of a country?

Does ptocho- imply...ooh, I don't know...hamsters?

No, it's something less likely than that.

Soldiers? Actors? 

Plumbers?

You're not going to guess, are you?

Word To Use Today: ptochocracy. This word comes from the Greek ptochos, which means poor, plus -cracy, which comes from the other Greek word kratos, power. Ptochocracy is rule by the poor.