Gentlemen,
The term "Democracy" literally means "The rule of the people" and it comes from the noun «Δημοκρατία» = «δήμος» (the people, the commons) + «κράτος» (rule, authority, sway).
According to its founders, there are three cardinal rules in Democracy:
1. Isonomy (from «ισονομία» = ίσος (equal) + νόμος (law): equality in front of the law),
2. Isopolity (from «ισοπολιτεία» = ίσος (equal) + πολιτεία (citizenship): equality in civil rights) and
3. Equality in the right to speak («ισηγορία» = ίσος (equal) + αγορεύω (to speak in public)).
In any case, if any of these three cardinal rules is missing THIS IS NOT A DEMOCRACY! No matter what they call it, because the name alone cannot define someone or something; only their actions and the results can...
We can recognise a regime as a Democracy if, and only if, all the three condition above are met together. Anything else is NOT a Democracy. Period!
For example, the Roman Republic was NOT a Democracy because the power was not exercised from the people directly but from their (elected or not) so-called representatives! A Republic is not a Democracy. Just for the record, Democracy has been exercised for no more than four centuries, in the whole recorded history...
Naming non-Democracies as Democracies is a deception called euphemism.
The term "euphemism" is the English transliteration of the noun «ευφημισμός» = «ευ» (well) + «φημί» (to speak) and literally means "fair speaking (of)." Euphemism is a milder or socially acceptable term or phrase that substitutes another one that is unpleasant or harsh. For example, the "Department of Defence" is a euphemism for the "Ministry of War" since it describes the same exactly mass-murderous entity but in a milder, friendlier and less intimidating term. In another example, no one speaks anymore of "civilian murders" but of "collateral damage," and that makes these murders alright...
In a few words, euphemisms are used to deceive people, since they replace other terms that are less obfuscating and more enlightening. And this comes directly from the ancient Roman Law, which stated that, if someone is deceivable let him be deceived...
As a side note, I will say that squeezing the last drop of juice out of the modern microcontrollers (yes, crafting code in pure assembly!) did not really make me feel smart; but, since I adapted etymology as one of my most beloved and enlightening hobbies, I would dare say that it has widen my perception, simply by realising the actual meaning of the terms I run across. It takes some time eventually, but the outcome is priceless. After all, etymology is the only tool we have to explain and debunk the widely used deceiving tactics of euphemisms.
I hope I have given enough bits of information and unusual terms as starting points for further research to the individuals who feel the need to learn more than they have been taught.
-George