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): /ˌæ.ɹɪˈstɒk.ɹə.si/

• Audio (RP)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɛɹ.ɪˈstɑk.ɹə.si/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: a‧ris‧to‧cra‧cy
• Rhymes: -ɒkɹəsi

Noun

aristocracy (countable and uncountable, plural aristocracies)

1. The nobility, or the hereditary ruling class.
   • 1905, G.K. Chesterton, Heretics:

     But when Nietzsche has the incredible lack of humour and lack of imagination to ask us to believe that his aristocracy is an aristocracy of strong muscles or an aristocracy of strong wills, it is necessary to point out the truth. It is an aristocracy of weak nerves.

   • 1791, Thomas Paine, Rights of Man:

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

2. Government by such a class, or a state with such a government.
   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXIII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 255:

     How many false principles have been laid down, how much delusion supported, by reference to the glories of Athens and of Rome! It remained for a later time to observe that those so-called republics were but aristocracy in its most oppressive form; and what are now the people were then positive slaves;...

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

Derived terms

• black aristocracy
• bunyip aristocracy
• codfish aristocracy
• labour aristocracy

 

Related terms

• aristocrat
• aristocratic

Translations

the nobility or the hereditary ruling class

• Afrikaans: adel
• Albanian: aristokraci (sq)
• Arabic: أَرِسْتُقْرَاطِيَّة f (ʔaristuqrāṭiyya)
• Armenian: արիստոկրատիա (hy) (aristokratia)
• Asturian: aristocracia (ast) f
• Basque: aristokrazia (eu)
• Belarusian: арыстакра́тыя f (arystakrátyja)
• Bulgarian: аристокрация (bg) f (aristokracija)
• Catalan: aristocràcia (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 貴族／贵族 (zh) (guìzú)

• Corsican: aristucrazia f
• Czech: aristokracie f
• Danish: aristokrati (da) n, adel (da) c
• Dutch: aristocratie (nl) f, adel (nl) m
• Esperanto: aristokrataro
• Estonian: aristokraatia
• Finnish: aristokratia (fi)
• French: aristocratie (fr) f
• Friulian: aristocrazie f
• Galician: aristocracia (gl) f
• Georgian: არისტოკრატია (arisṭoḳraṭia)
• German: Aristokratie (de) f
• Greek: αριστοκρατία (el) f (aristokratía)
• Hebrew: אריסטוקרטיה (he) f (aristokrátya)
• Hungarian: arisztokrácia (hu)
• Icelandic: aðalsveldi n, úrvalsveldi n
• Ido: aristokratio
• Indonesian: aristokrat (id)
• Italian: aristocrazia (it) f
• Japanese: 貴族 (ja) (きぞく, kizoku), 特権階級 (ja) (とっけんかいきゅう, tokken kaikyū)
• Kazakh: ақсүйектік (aqsüiektık)
• Korean: 귀족정 (gwijokjeong), 귀족 (ko) (gwijok)
• Latvian: aristokrātija f
• Lithuanian: aristokratija (lt) f
• Macedonian: аристократија f (aristokratija)
• Maori: kāhui ariki, te aitanga a Tiki
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: aristokrati (no) n, adel (no) m

  Nynorsk: aristokrati n, adel m

• Occitan: aristocracia (oc) f
• Old English: æþelu f or n
• Plautdietsch: Odel m
• Polish: arystokracja (pl) f
• Portuguese: aristocracia (pt) f
• Romanian: aristocrație (ro) f
• Russian: аристокра́тия (ru) f (aristokrátija), знать (ru) f (znatʹ)
• Sardinian: aristocratzia f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: аристокрација f (Croatia), аристократија f (Bosnia, Serbia)

  Roman: aristokràcija (sh) f (Croatia), aristokràtija (sh) f (Bosnia, Serbia)

• Slovak: aristokracia (sk) f
• Slovene: aristokracija f
• Spanish: aristocracia (es) f
• Swedish: aristokrati (sv) c, adel (sv) c
• Tagalog: butikasan
• Thai: อภิชน (th) (aphichon)
• Turkish: aristokrasi (tr), soylu erki (tr)
• Ukrainian: аристокра́тія (uk) f (arystokrátija)
• Vietnamese: chế độ quý tộc

government by such a class

• Afrikaans: adel,adelstand
• Albanian: aristokraci (sq)
• Armenian: արիստոկրատիա (hy) f (aristokratia)
• Asturian: aristocracia (ast) f
• Basque: aristokrazia (eu)
• Belarusian: арыстакра́тыя f (arystakrátyja)
• Bulgarian: аристокрация (bg) f (aristokracija)
• Catalan: aristocràcia (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 貴族政府／贵族政府 (guìzú zhèngfǔ)

• Czech: aristokracie f
• Danish: aristokrati (da) n
• Dutch: aristocratie (nl) f
• Esperanto: aristokratio
• Estonian: aristokraatia
• Finnish: aristokratia (fi)
• French: aristocratie (fr) f
• Galician: aristocracia (gl) f
• Georgian: არისტოკრატია (arisṭoḳraṭia)
• German: Aristokratie (de) f
• Greek: αριστοκρατία (el) f (aristokratía)
• Hebrew: אריסטוקרטיה (he) f (aristokrátya)
• Hungarian: arisztokrácia (hu)
• Icelandic: aðalsveldi n, úrvalsveldi n
• Ido: aristokratio
• Indonesian: aristokrasi (id)
• Italian: aristocrazia (it) f
• Japanese: 貴族政治 (きぞくせいじ, kizoku seiji)
• Korean: 귀족정부 (gwijokjeongbu)
• Latvian: aristokrātija f
• Lithuanian: aristokratija (lt) f
• Macedonian: аристократија f (aristokratija)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: aristokrati (no) n

  Nynorsk: aristokrati n

• Occitan: aristocracia (oc) f
• Polish: arystokracja (pl) f
• Portuguese: aristocracia (pt) f
• Romanian: aristocrație (ro) f
• Russian: аристокра́тия (ru) f (aristokrátija)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: аристокрација f (Croatia), аристократија f (Bosnia, Serbia)

  Roman: aristokràcija (sh) f (Croatia), aristokràtija (sh) f (Bosnia, Serbia)

• Slovak: aristokracia (sk) f
• Slovene: aristokracija f
• Spanish: aristocracia (es) f
• Swedish: aristokrati (sv) c
• Thai: อภิชนาธิปไตย (th) (à-pí-chá-naa-tí-bpà-dtai)
• Turkish: aristokrasi (tr)
• Ukrainian: аристокра́тія (uk) f (arystokrátija)

class of people considered superior to others

• Albanian: aristokraci (sq)
• Armenian: արիստոկրատիա (hy) (aristokratia)
• Basque: aristokrazia (eu)
• Belarusian: арыстакра́тыя f (arystakrátyja)
• Bulgarian: аристокрация (bg) f (aristokracija)
• Catalan: aristocràcia (ca) f
• Czech: aristokracie f
• Danish: aristokrati (da) n
• Dutch: aristocratie (nl) f
• Esperanto: aristokrataro
• Estonian: aristokraatia
• Finnish: aristokratia (fi)
• French: aristocratie (fr) f
• Galician: aristocracia (gl) f
• Georgian: არისტოკრატია (arisṭoḳraṭia)
• German: Aristokratie (de) f
• Greek: αριστοκρατία (el) f (aristokratía)
• Hungarian: arisztokrácia (hu)
• Ido: aristokratio
• Italian: aristocrazia (it) f
• Latvian: aristokrātija f
• Lithuanian: aristokratija (lt) f
• Macedonian: аристократија f (aristokratija)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: aristokrati (no) n

  Nynorsk: aristokrati n

• Polish: arystokracja (pl) f
• Portuguese: aristocracia (pt) f
• Romanian: aristocrație (ro) f
• Russian: аристокра́тия (ru) f (aristokrátija), знать (ru) f (znatʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: аристокрација f (Croatia), аристократија f (Bosnia, Serbia)

  Roman: aristokràcija (sh) f (Croatia), aristokràtija (sh) f (Bosnia, Serbia)

• Slovak: aristokracia (sk) f
• Slovene: aristokracija f
• Spanish: aristocracia (es) f
• Swedish: aristokrati (sv) c
• Thai: อภิชน (th) (aphichon)
• Turkish: aristokrasi (tr)
• Ukrainian: аристокра́тія (uk) f (arystokrátija)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Maltese: ^{(please verify)} aristokrazija
• Scottish Gaelic: ^{(please verify)} flaitheachd f, ^{(please verify)} uaisle f, ^{(please verify)} uaisleachd f

Further reading

• “aristocracy”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “aristocracy”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.