A social, religious, economic or political system or organization in which people or groups of people are ranked with some superior to others based on their status, authority or some other trait.
Any group of objects ranked so that every one but the topmost is subordinate to a specified one above it.
Origin
From Middle English ierarchie, jerarchie, from Old French ierarchie, jerarchie, from Late Latin ierarchia, from Latin hierarchia, from Ancient Greek ἱεραρχία ("rule of a high priest"), from ἱεράρχης, from ἱερός + ἄρχω. The H was re-added c. 1500 due to influence from Classical Latin.
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