aristocracy

Borrowed from Middle French aristocratie, from Medieval Latin *aristocratia, from Ancient Greek ἀριστοκρατίᾱ (aristokratíā, “the rule of the best“, that is, “the best-born”, “nobility”), from ἄριστος (áristos, “best, noblest”) + -κρατίᾱ (-kratíā), from κράτος (krátos, “power, rule”). By surface analysis, aristo- +‎ -cracy.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌæ.ɹɪˈstɒk.ɹə.si/

• Audio (RP)

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• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɛɹ.ɪˈstɑk.ɹə.si/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: a‧ris‧to‧cra‧cy

aristocracy (countable and uncountable, plural aristocracies)

1. The nobility, or the hereditary ruling class.
   • 1791, Thomas Paine, Rights of Man:

     That, then, which is called aristocracy in some countries and nobility in others arose out of the governments founded upon conquest.

2. Government by such a class, or a state with such a government
   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), OCLC 630079698, page 255:

     How many false principles have been laid down, how much delusion supported, by reference to the glories of Athens and of Rome! It remained for a later time to observe that those so-called republics were but aristocracy in its most oppressive form; and what are now the people were then positive slaves;...

3. A class of people considered (not normally universally) superior to others

• bunyip aristocracy

• aristocrat
• aristocratic

• aristocracy in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• aristocracy in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911