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aristocracy

ar·is·toc·ra·cy [ àrri stókrəssee ] (plural ar·is·toc·ra·cies)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. people of highest social class: people of noble families or the highest social class

2. superior group: a group believed to be superior to all others of the same kind

3. government by elite: government of a country by a small group of people, especially a hereditary nobility

4. state run by elite: a state governed by an aristocracy

[15th century. Via French aristocratie< Greek aristokratia "rule by the best" < aristos "best" + kratos "power, rule" (see -cracy)]
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