Today, as a family we ran headlong into the meaning of bureaucracy.
Main Entry: bu·reau·cra·cy
Pronunciation: \byu̇-ˈrä-krə-sē, byə-, byər-ˈä-\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural bu·reau·cra·cies
Etymology: French bureaucratie, from bureau + -cratie -cracy
Date: 1818
1 a: a body of nonelective government officials b: an administrative policy-making group
2: government characterized by specialization of functions, adherence to [...]