entry
aristocrat
/ˈærɪstəˌkræt/Member of a ruling upper class
From Greek αριστος (best) + Greek κρατος (power).
from Medieval Latin aristocratia
from Medieval Latin aristocratia
from French aristocrate , a word of the Revolution, a back-formation
+1 more sourcefrom French aristocrate , a word of the Revolution, a back-formation
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Medieval Latin aristocratia
from Medieval Latin aristocratia
from French aristocrate , a word of the Revolution, a back-formation
+1 more sourcefrom French aristocrate , a word of the Revolution, a back-formation
+1 more sourceRevolutionary France had a talent for turning political ideas into sharp new labels, and 1789 gave us aristocrat right in the middle of the upheaval. It sounds grand, but its parts are blunt: Greek aristos meant “best,” and kratos meant “power,” the same hard-edged kratos that shows up in democracy, autocracy, and bureaucracy. So an aristocrat is literally a believer in rule by “the best,” which is a very elegant slogan if you happen to be one of the people holding the title. The twist is that French aristocrate was born as a back-formation from aristocratie, as if speakers looked at the fancy class name and chopped off the ending to make a person out of it. That’s language behaving like politics: take a lofty abstraction, lop off its tail, and suddenly you have a human being in a powdered wig.
The Story
Revolutionary France had a talent for turning political ideas into sharp new labels, and 1789 gave us aristocrat right in the middle of the upheaval. It sounds grand, but its parts are blunt: Greek aristos meant “best,” and kratos meant “power,” the same hard-edged kratos that shows up in democracy, autocracy, and bureaucracy. So an aristocrat is literally a believer in rule by “the best,” which is a very elegant slogan if you happen to be one of the people holding the title. The twist is that French aristocrate was born as a back-formation from aristocratie, as if speakers looked at the fancy class name and chopped off the ending to make a person out of it. That’s language behaving like politics: take a lofty abstraction, lop off its tail, and suddenly you have a human being in a powdered wig.
Kin & Kindred
From 'αριστος'·best
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'κρατος'·power, rule
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia