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Democracy
Political • 8 of 12 languages have a word for this concept
Concept Information
Details about Democracy
- Category:
- Political
- Description:
- A system of government by the whole population or all eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
- Origin:
- Greek: demokratia, from demos 'the people' + -kratia 'power, rule'
- First Used:
- 5th century BCE in Athens, Greece
- Related Concepts:
- Representation, Voting, Elections, Governance
Language Coverage
8 of 12 languages have a word for this concept (67%)
Present in Languages
8
Most common in Southern Africa
Missing in Languages
4
Most common in East Africa
All Language Mappings
Overview of all languages tracked for the concept of Democracy
| Language | Region | Status | Native Word | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swahili | East Africa | Present | Demokrasia | Direct borrowing from English |
| Yoruba | West Africa | Present | Ijọba aláìgbọ́yà | Literally 'government of freedom' |
| Zulu | Southern Africa | Present | Intando yeningi | Literally 'the will of many' |
| Amharic | East Africa | Missing | — | Uses descriptive phrases instead |
| Hausa | West Africa | Present | Dimokaradiyya | Borrowed from English |
| Igbo | West Africa | Missing | — | Uses 'ochichi obodo' (governance of the community) |
| Xhosa | Southern Africa | Present | Idemokhrasi | Borrowed from English |
| Oromo | East Africa | Missing | — | Uses descriptive phrases |
| Shona | Southern Africa | Present | Demokirasi | Borrowed from English |
| Somali | East Africa | Present | Dimuqraadi | Borrowed from English |
| Lingala | Central Africa | Missing | — | Uses descriptive phrases |
| Twi | West Africa | Present | Ahemman | Traditional word repurposed |