ELITE


Meaning of ELITE in English

I. e ‧ lite 1 /eɪˈliːt, ɪ-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]

[ Date: 1800-1900 ; Language: French ; Origin: past participle of élire 'to choose' , from Latin eligere ; ⇨ ↑ elect 1 ]

a group of people who have a lot of power and influence because they have money, knowledge, or special skills

political/social/economic etc elite

the domination of power by a small political elite

a struggle for power within the ruling elite

II. elite 2 BrE AmE adjective

an elite group contains the best, most skilled or most experienced people or members of a larger group:

an elite group of artists

elite universities

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.