hierarchy
Definitions
A system in which people or things are ranked one above another by authority or importance.
等级制度，层级体系（按权力或重要性逐级排列）。
The group of people at the top of such a system; those in charge.
（处于高层的）领导层，统治集团。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedhier- (Greek hieros, 'sacred') + arch (rule) + -y (system) = 'rule of the sacred.' It first named the ranked orders of angels and clergy; because those holy ranks were strictly tiered, the word broadened to any layered ordering of power or importance.
Root arch still carries 12 more wordsWhy It Means This
The 'sacred' meaning is invisible today but it explains the word's shape. Medieval theology arranged angels into ranked choirs and clergy into ranked offices — a 'hierarchy.' Once people had a word for a strict, top-down ladder, they applied it everywhere: corporate hierarchies, social hierarchies, even Maslow's hierarchy of needs. What survives is the ladder, not the holiness.
Common Collocations
- 1.organizational hierarchy组织层级
- 2.social hierarchy社会等级
- 3.rigid hierarchy森严的等级制度
- 4.climb the hierarchy在层级中往上爬
Example Sentences
- 1.
She slowly climbed the corporate hierarchy to become CEO.
- 2.
The army has a clear hierarchy of ranks and command.
- 3.
In this company, the hierarchy decides who gets promoted.
Easily Confused
hierarchy vs ranking — a hierarchy is a fixed structure of authority where upper levels control lower ones (boss over employee); a ranking is just an ordered list by some measure (top-ranked teams), with no control implied. People report to someone in a hierarchy; they simply place above someone in a ranking.