Kleptocrat

[Fred Shapiro]

> On Mon, 22 Jan 2001, Paul McFedries wrote:
>
> > I've heard "kleptocrat" used recently in reference to Laurent Kabila. The
> > OED has "kleptocracy" ("a ruling body or order of thieves"), which it dates
> > to 1819. However, it doesn't have "kleptocrat." Nexis.com reports that its
> > earliest citation is an abstract of a Wall Street Journal article from 1986,
> > which is surprisingly new considering the antiquity of kleptocracy. Does
> > anyone know of any earlier cites for "kleptocrat"?

Here's a still earlier one than my previous posting:

1968 Stanislav Andreski _The African Predicament_ 77  Corruption appears
even more rampant than in the opulent days of the arch kleptocrat
Okotie-Iboh.

Fred Shapiro


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