Wiktionary

elite

See also: Elite and élite

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English elit, from Old French elit, eslit (“chosen, elected”) past participle of elire, eslire (“to choose, elect”), from Latin eligere (“to choose, elect”), with past participle electus; see elect.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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elite (comparative eliter or more elite, superlative elitest or most elite)

  1. Of high birth or social position; aristocratic or patrician.
  2. Representing the choicest or most select of a group.
    • 2013 August 20, Louise Taylor, The Guardian‎[1]:
      Not since Coventry in 1992 has a Premier League side kicked off a campaign with an all-English XI but things have reached the point where, of the 61 signings who have cost the elite division's 20 clubs a transfer fee this summer, only 12 have involved Englishmen.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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elite (plural elites)

  1. A special group or social class of people who have a superior social or economic status and attendant power, advantages, or privileges in society; a member of such a group.
    constituting an elite
    the hubris of the elites
    • 1964 August 7, “France's Culture Corps”, in Time:
      Is there a nobler or more disinterested aim than to educate the cadres, the elites of tomorrow?
    • 2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in the Guardian‎[2]:
      "Mujtahidd" has attracted almost 300,000 followers since the end of last year, when he began posting scandalous claims about the Saudi elite. In one tweet, Mujtahidd directly challenged Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd about his political history: "Did you resign or were you forced to resign from your post as head of the diwan [office] of the council of ministers?"
    • 2024 December 9, Paul Krugman, “My Last Column: Finding Hope in an Age of Resentment”, in New York Times‎[3]:
      So is there a way out of the grim place we’re in? What I believe is that while resentment can put bad people in power, in the long run it can’t keep them there. At some point the public will realize that most politicians railing against elites actually are elites in every sense that matters and start to hold them accountable for their failure to deliver on their promises. And at that point the public may be willing to listen to people who don’t try to argue from authority, don’t make false promises, but do try to tell the truth as best they can. We may never recover the kind of faith in our leaders — belief that people in power generally tell the truth and know what they’re doing — that we used to have. Nor should we. But if we stand up to the kakistocracy — rule by the worst — that’s emerging as we speak, we may eventually find our way back to a better world.
  2. Someone who is among the best at a certain task.
    • 2018 November 18, Phil McNulty, “England 2 - 1 Croatia”, in BBC Sport‎[4]:
      The Nations League results have also seen England respond to an ongoing criticism that they fail to beat the top sides, with even Southgate insisting they could not be considered among the world's elite until they beat the best. The World Cup did nothing to answer those questions.
  3. (typography) A typeface with 12 characters per inch.
    Coordinate term: pica

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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Anagrams

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Afrikaans

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Etymology

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From Dutch elite, from French élite.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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elite (plural elites)

  1. elite

Dutch

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French élite.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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elite f (plural elites)

  1. elite (group with a high or privileged status)

Usage notes

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The term may be used with negative as well as positive connotations, but negative connotations tend to predominate, especially in contemporary political discourse. Overall the term has a more negative ring than French élite or English elite.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Afrikaans: elite
  • → Indonesian: elite

Indonesian

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Etymology

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From Dutch elite.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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élite (plural elite-elite)

  1. elite

Alternative forms

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  • élit (Standard Malay, nonstandard Indonesian)
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Further reading

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Portuguese

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French élite.[1][2]

Pronunciation

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  • Hyphenation: e‧li‧te

Noun

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elite f (plural elites)

  1. elite (group with higher status)
    Synonym: escol
  2. elite (person who is among the best at certain task)

References

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  1. ^ “elite”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024
  2. ^ “elite”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2024

Spanish

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Noun

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elite f (plural elites)

  1. Alternative form of élite

Further reading

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