ETYM Greek; aristos best + kratein to be strong, to rule; cf. French aristocratie.
1. A ruling body composed of privileged citizens.
2. 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.
3. 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.
Social elite or system of political power associated with landed wealth, as in western Europe; with monetary wealth, as in Carthage and Venice; or with religious superiority, as were the Brahmans in India. Aristocracies are also usually associated with monarchy but have frequently been in conflict with the sovereign over their respective rights and privileges. In Europe, their economic base was undermined during the 19th century by inflation and falling agricultural prices, leading to their demise as a political force after 1914.
The Prussian (Junker) aristocracy based its legitimacy not only on landed wealth but also on service to the state.