élite

See also: elite and Elite

English

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French élite.

Adjective

élite (comparative more élite, superlative most élite)

1. Alternative spelling of elite
   • 2002, Clive Jones, Emma Murphy, Israel: Challenges to Identity, Democracy, and the State, Routledge, →ISBN, page 27:

     Ben-Gurion’s legacy has been an enduring one. The projection of a national consensus, the domination of the state over other political actors, and the hegemony exercised over decision-making by a largely Ashkanazim élite remain features of Israeli politics today.

   • 2009 September 28, Farhad Manjoo, “Is Wikipedia a Victim of Its Own Success?”, in TIME.COM‎^[1], archived from the original on 23 September 2009, page 2:

     Over time, though, a class system emerged; now revisions made by infrequent contributors are much likelier to be undone by élite Wikipedians.

Noun

élite (plural élites)

1. Alternative spelling of elite
   • 1951, Isaac Asimov, Foundation (1974 Panther Books Ltd publication), part III: “The Mayors”, chapter 6, page 101, ¶ 5

     A hush had fallen over the élite in the ballroom, as a broad path was cleared for the throne. Lepold sat on it now, hands solidly on its arms, head high, face frozen.

Anagrams

• Eitel, Leite, Tiele

French

Etymology

Feminine of élit (“chosen, selected”), old past participle of verb élire (displaced in modern use by élu).

Noun

élite f (plural élites)

1. elite

Derived terms

• élitaire
• élitisme

Descendants

• → Catalan: elit
• → Danish: elite
• → Dutch: elite (see there for further descendants)
• → English: elite, élite
• → German: Elite
• → Italian: élite
• → Portuguese: elite
• → Japanese: エリート (erīto)
• → Spanish: élite, elite
• → Swedish: elit
• → Turkish: elit

Further reading

• “élite”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French élite. Doublet of eletta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eˈlit/
• Rhymes: -it

Noun

élite f (invariable)

1. elite

Derived terms

• elitario
• elitarismo
• elitismo

Further reading

• élite in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• etile, letei, liete

Spanish

Alternative forms

• elite

Etymology

Borrowed from French élite.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈelite/ [ˈe.li.t̪e]
• Rhymes: -elite
• Syllabification: é‧li‧te

Noun

élite f (plural élites)

1. elite

Derived terms

• elitismo

 

Further reading

• “élite”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10