Meaning of aristocracy in English

1. Pronunciation

   /ˌɛrəˈstɑkrəsi/

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1. Noun

   aristocracy

   Etymology

   late 15th century: from Old French aristocratie, from Greek aristokratia, from aristos‘best’ + -kratia‘power’. The term originally denoted the government of a state by its best citizens, later by the rich and well born, hence the sense ‘nobility’, regardless of the form of government (mid 17th century)

   Definitions

   1. a privileged class holding hereditary titles
2. 2. the most powerful members of a society