pecking order

English

Etymology

Calque of German Hackordnung.

Noun

pecking order (plural pecking orders)

  1. (zoology) The natural hierarchy of social status and dominance occurring in a group of birds.
  2. The usually informal hierarchy of authority or command, often partial or approximate, as determined by the especially natural propensity for domination of different members of a specific group over each other, such as older brothers and sisters over their younger siblings.

Translations

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