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Hierarchy |
Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.07 sec. |
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A group of people who form an ascending chain of power or authority. Officers in a government, for example, form an escalating series of ranks or degrees of power, with each rank subject to the authority of the one on the next level above. In a majority of hierarchical arrangements, there are a larger number of people at the bottom than at the top. Originally, the term was used to mean government by a body of priests. Currently, a hierarchy is used to denote any body of individuals arranged or classified according to capacity, authority, position, or rank. HIERARCHY, eccl. law. A hierarchy signified, originally, power of the priest; for in the beginning of societies, the priests were entrusted with all the power but, among the priests themselves, there were different degrees of power and authority, at the summit of which was the sovereign pontiff, and this was called the hierarchy. Now it signifies, not so much the power of the priests as the border of power. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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this line of argument helps fuel a national trend to intensify the industry's racial heirarchy by tying pay rates to subjective "quality" designations. Moreover, for Ibn Sina the heirarchy of Intellects and Souls of the spheres were identified with realities that in the language of religion were called angels. No abundance of false labels," he concluded, "will establish the witless heirarchy that Mr. |
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