Aristocracy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌæ.ɹɪˈstɒk.ɹə.si/

Definitions

1. A system of government in which power rests with a small group of people distinguished by high social rank, noble birth, or wealth
2. A social class or form of governance dominated by people of noble lineage or inherited privilege who hold superior status and authority over the general population
3. A group of individuals from noble or elite families who hold political power ; a societal group distinguished by inherited wealth and privileges

Etymology: Plato's Greek gave "aristocracy" a meaning that sounds almost like praise for merit rather than birth: "aristokratia" meant "the rule of the best," with the best understood as the noblest-born. The Greek parts are "aristos," meaning best or noblest, and "kratos," meaning power or rule, the same root that appears in "democracy" and "autocracy." The idea that the finest people should govern was a philosophical ideal long before it became a description of a privileged class. The word reached English by way of Middle French "aristocratie," itself drawn from Medieval Latin, so it arrived as a learned borrowing rather than through everyday speech. Over time the emphasis shifted from the quality of rulers to the families they came from. What began as a claim about excellence came to name a hereditary elite, which is the sense that dominates English today.

Synonyms: nobility, elite, gentry, upper class

Antonyms: commonality, plebeians, proletariat