Aristocratic

How to spell aristocratic

12 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce aristocratic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does aristocratic mean?

1. adjectiveBelonging to, characteristic of, or resembling the nobility or upper class.

Aristocratic in a sentence

• The family lived in an aristocratic townhouse near the park.

• Her aristocratic manners set her apart at the formal dinner.

Where does aristocratic come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek aristokratia, which described government by the aristoi, literally 'the best people', combined with kratos, meaning 'power' or 'rule'. To the ancient Greeks the term named a system in which a small class of supposedly superior citizens held authority, rather than the people as a whole. The word passed into Latin and then into French as aristocratique before reaching English in the early 1600s, by which time it had broadened to describe anyone or anything belonging to or resembling the nobility. Over time the political meaning faded in everyday use and the modern flavour of refined elegance and high birth came to dominate. The same kratos root that gives 'power' here also sits inside relatives such as democratic and bureaucratic, and recognising that shared -crat- piece is a useful anchor for spelling the middle of the word.

How the word is built

• aristo- (from Greek aristos: best)
• -crat- (from kratos: power, rule)
• -ic (adjective suffix)