aristocracy

== English == === Etymology === 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. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌæɹ.ɪˈstɒk.ɹə.si/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˌɛɹ.ɪˈstɑ.kɹə.si/ Hyphenation: a‧ris‧to‧cra‧cy Rhymes: -ɒkɹəsi === Noun === aristocracy (countable and uncountable, plural aristocracies) The nobility, or the hereditary ruling class. Government by such a class, or a state with such a government. A class of people considered (not normally universally) superior to others. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== aristocrat aristocratic ==== Translations ==== ==== Further reading ==== “aristocracy”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “aristocracy”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.