elite

== English == === Alternative forms === élite === Etymology === From Middle English elit, from Old French elit, eslit (“chosen, elected”) past participle of elire, eslire (“to choose, elect”), from Latin eligere (“to choose, elect”), with past participle electus; see elect. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɪˈliːt/, /ɛˈliːt/ (General American) IPA(key): /ɪˈlit/, /eɪˈlit/, /əˈlit/, /iˈlit/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /ɪˈliːt/, [ɪˈlɪit], /əˈliːt/, [əˈlɪit] (Leet) IPA(key): /ɛˈliːt/ (Indic, spelling pronunciation) IPA(key): /ᵻˈlajʈ/ Rhymes: -iːt === Adjective === elite (comparative eliter or more elite, superlative elitest or most elite) Of high birth or social position; aristocratic or patrician. Representing the choicest or most select of a group. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Noun === elite (plural elites) A special group or social class of people who have a superior social or economic status and attendant power, advantages, or privileges in society; a member of such a group. An individual member of such a group. Someone who is among the best at a certain task. (typography) A typeface with 12 characters per inch. Coordinate term: pica ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === “elite”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. elite in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018. “elite”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “elite”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. Raymond Williams (1983), “Elite”, in Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society, revised American edition, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, published 1985, →ISBN, page 112. === Anagrams === Eitel, Leite, Tiele == Afrikaans == === Etymology === From Dutch elite, from French élite. === Pronunciation === === Noun === elite (plural elites) elite == Dutch == === Etymology === Borrowed from French élite. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˌeːˈli.tə/ Hyphenation: eli‧te Rhymes: -itə === Noun === elite f (plural elites, no diminutive) elite (group with a high or privileged status) ==== Usage notes ==== The term may be used with negative as well as positive connotations, but negative connotations tend to predominate, especially in contemporary political discourse. Overall the term has a more negative ring than French élite or English elite. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== Afrikaans: elite → Indonesian: elite == Indonesian == === Etymology === From Dutch elite. === Pronunciation === (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /eˈlitə/ [eˈli.t̪ə] Rhymes: -itə Syllabification: e‧li‧te === Noun === élite (plural elite-elite) elite ==== Alternative forms ==== élit (Standard Malay, nonstandard Indonesian) ==== Related terms ==== elitisme === Further reading === “elite”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016 == Portuguese == === Etymology === Borrowed from French élite. === Pronunciation === Hyphenation: e‧li‧te === Noun === elite f (plural elites) elite (group with higher status) Synonym: escol elite (person who is among the best at certain task) === References === === Further reading === “elite”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 == Spanish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /eˈlite/ [eˈli.t̪e] Rhymes: -ite Syllabification: e‧li‧te === Noun === elite f (plural elites) alternative form of élite === Further reading === “elite”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025