Aristocratizing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act or process of making something or someone characteristic of a high social class; bestowing qualities or status associated with nobility or elite groups; elevating in rank or manner to reflect aristocratic qualities
2. Transforming the nature or appearance of a person or thing to resemble that of the aristocracy; imparting distinguished or noble traits; enhancing social standing to that of the elite class
3. Causing a change that aligns with the privileges and refinement of nobility; adopting or promoting traits linked to the upper class; conferring elite social characteristics or prestige upon an individual or entity

Etymology: In ancient Greece, "aristokratia" meant rule by the best, from "aristos" ("best") and "kratos" ("power" or "rule"). It was a political ideal, not a claim about birth: the most capable citizens were meant to govern, whoever their parents had been. Over time, though, "the best" hardened into a hereditary class, and excellence came to be measured by ancestry. Aristocratizing is built on "aristocrat," a noun borrowed from French, with the suffix "-ize," from Greek "-izein," which turns a noun into a verb meaning to make something into that thing. To aristocratize is therefore to give a person or thing the manners, tastes, or status of the elite. The "-ing" ending makes it a verb of ongoing process, so the term describes the act of refining someone or something in that direction.