ARISTOCRACY

noun (plural -cies) Etymology: Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French aristocratie, from Late Latin aristocratia, from Greek aristokratia, from aristos best + -kratia -cracy Date: 1561 government by the best individuals or by a small privileged class, 2. a government in which power is vested in a minority consisting of those believed to be best qualified, a state with such a government, a governing body or upper class usually made up of a hereditary nobility, the aggregate of those believed to be superior