aristocracy

CEFRC1

/ˌæɹ.ɪˈstɒk.ɹə.si/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The highest social class, often made up of noble families.

  2. 02

    noun

    Government by a small group of powerful noble people.

Examples

  • Nancy comes from what we call the aristocracy.

  • They are considered the aristocracy in our town.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

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

  2. Government by such a class, or a state with such a government.

  3. The nobility, or the hereditary ruling class.

More examples

In context

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

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank often owned vast estates and held positions of power.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.