Democracy refers to a specific for of government, one that is operated under the principle that the citizens have the power to choose government officials and elect a leader based on votes. With a democracy the people hold the power, and this is not true in most other types of government organization.
Democracy is a government where you can say what you think even if you don't think
Democracy is the name we give to the people each time we need them
[Democracy:] An institution in which the whole is equal to the scum of the parts