From http://dictionary.reference.com — (I think probably more spun than true, so less than helpful – check other dictionaries & comment): de·moc·ra·cy noun, plural -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 theirelected 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 anyprivileged class; the common people with respect to their political power. re·pub·lic noun 1. a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectlyby them. 2. any body of persons viewed as a commonwealth. 3. a state in which the head of government is not a monarch or other hereditary head of state. 4. ( initial capital letter ) any of the five periods of republican government in France. Compare First Republic, Second Republic, Third Republic, Fourth Republic, Fifth Republic. 5. ( initial capital letter, italics ) a philosophical dialogue (4th century b.c.) byPlato dealing with the composition and structure of the ideal state. [...]
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