Aristocracy

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Aristocracy \Ar`is*toc"ra*cy\, n.; pl. {Aristocracies}. [Gr. ?;
     ? best + ? to be strong, to rule, ? strength; ? is perh. from
     the same root as E. arm, and orig. meant fitting: cf. F.
     aristocratie. See {Arm}, and {Create}, which is related to
     Gr. ?.]
     1. Government by the best citizens.


        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A ruling body composed of the best citizens. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              In the Senate
              Right not our quest in this, I will protest them
              To all the world, no aristocracy.     --B. Jonson.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A form a government, in which the supreme power is vested
        in the principal persons of a state, or in a privileged
        order; an oligarchy.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The aristocracy of Venice hath admitted so many
              abuses, trough the degeneracy of the nobles, that
              the period of its duration seems approach. --Swift.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. The nobles or chief persons in a state; a privileged class
        or patrician order; (in a popular use) those who are
        regarded as superior to the rest of the community, as in
        rank, fortune, or intellect.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  aristocracy
       n 1: a privileged class holding hereditary titles [syn: {nobility}]
       2: the most powerful members of a society [syn: {gentry}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  196 Moby Thesaurus words for "aristocracy":
     FFVs, absolute monarchy, aedileship, ancestry, ancienne noblesse,
     archbishopric, archiepiscopacy, archiepiscopate,
     aristocraticalness, autarchy, autocracy, autonomy, baronage,
     baronetage, barons, beau monde, birth, bishopric, blood,
     blue blood, bon ton, carriage trade, chairmanship, chancellery,
     chancellorate, chancellorship, chiefery, chiefry, chieftaincy,
     chieftainry, chieftainship, chivalry, coalition government,
     colonialism, commonwealth, constitutional government,
     constitutional monarchy, consulate, consulship, county, cream,
     deanery, democracy, dictatorship, dictature, directorship,
     distinction, dominion rule, duarchy, duumvirate, dyarchy, elect,
     elite, emirate, episcopacy, establishment, federal government,
     federation, feudal system, flower, garrison state, genteelness,
     gentility, gentry, gerontocracy, governorship, haut monde,
     headship, hegemony, heteronomy, hierarchy, hierocracy, high life,
     high society, home rule, honorable descent, jet set, knightage,
     leadership, limited monarchy, lords of creation, lordship,
     magistracy, magistrateship, magistrature, martial law, masterdom,
     mastership, mastery, mayoralty, mayorship, meritocracy,
     metropolitanate, metropolitanship, militarism, military government,
     mob rule, mobocracy, monarchy, neocolonialism, nobility,
     noble birth, nobleness, noblesse, noblesse de robe, ochlocracy,
     old nobility, oligarchy, overlapping, pantisocracy, papacy,
     pashadom, pashalic, patriarchate, patriarchy, patricians,
     patriciate, peerage, police state, pontificality, pontificate,
     popedom, popehood, popeship, power elite, power structure,
     prefectship, prefecture, premiership, presidency, presidentship,
     prime-ministership, prime-ministry, princedom, princeship,
     principality, proconsulate, proconsulship, protectorate,
     protectorship, provostry, provostship, pure democracy, quality,
     rank, rectorate, rectorship, regency, regentship,
     representative democracy, representative government, republic,
     royalty, ruling circles, ruling class, seigniory,
     self-determination, self-government, seneschalship, seneschalsy,
     sheikhdom, sheriffalty, sheriffcy, sheriffdom, shrievalty,
     smart set, social democracy, society, stratocracy, supervisorship,
     suzerainship, suzerainty, technocracy, the Four Hundred, the best,
     the best people, the brass, the classes, thearchy, theocracy,
     top people, totalitarian government, totalitarian regime, triarchy,
     tribunate, triumvirate, tyranny, upper class, upper classes,
     upper crust, upper ten, upper ten thousand, uppercut, vizierate,
     viziership, welfare state
  
  

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  ARISTOCRACY, n.  Government by the best men.  (In this sense the word
  is obsolete; so is that kind of government.)  Fellows that wear downy
  hats and clean shirts -- guilty of education and suspected of bank
  accounts.