From Middle English elit, from Old French elit, eslit (“chosen, elected”) past participle of elire, eslire (“to choose, elect”), from Latin eligere (“to choose, elect”), with past participle electus; see elect.
Meanings
Of high birth or social position; aristocratic or patrician.
Representing the choicest or most select of a group.
Not since Coventry in 1992 has a Premier League side kicked off a campaign with an all-English XI but things have reached the point where, of the 61 signings who have cost the elite division's 20 clubs a transfer fee this summer, only 12 have involved Englishmen. 2013 August 20, Louise Taylor, The Guardian:
es élite (of high birth or social position) · fi eliitti- (of high birth or social position) · et eliit (of high birth or social position) · be элі́тны (of high birth or social position) · nl elitair (of high birth or social position) · de elitär (of high birth or social position) · el ελίτ (of high birth or social position) · hu elit (of high birth or social position) · az elitar (of high birth or social position) · mi hunga pakipaki (of high birth or social position) · gl elite (of high birth or social position) · uk елі́тний (of high birth or social position) · th ชั้นนำ (of high birth or social position) · eo elita (of high birth or social position) · fr d'élite (of high birth or social position) · ru эли́тный (of high birth or social position) · pt de elite (of high birth or social position) · nl elitaire (of high birth or social position) · fr élite (of high birth or social position) · de Auslese- (of high birth or social position) · de Eliten- (of high birth or social position) · de Elite- (of high birth or social position) · fr élitaire (of high birth or social position) · pl elitarny (of high birth or social position) · cmn 精英 (of high birth or social position) · cs elitní (of high birth or social position)
From Middle English elit, from Old French elit, eslit (“chosen, elected”) past participle of elire, eslire (“to choose, elect”), from Latin eligere (“to choose, elect”), with past participle electus; see elect.
Meanings
A special group or social class of people who have a superior social or economic status and attendant power, advantages, or privileges in society; a member of such a group.
the hubris of the elites
So is there a way out of the grim place we’re in? What I believe is that while resentment can put bad people in power, in the long run it can’t keep them there. At some point the public will realize that most politicians railing against elites actually are elites in every sense that matters and start to hold them accountable for their failure to deliver on their promises. And at that point the public may be willing to listen to people who don’t try to argue from authority, don’t make false promises, but do try to tell the truth as best they can. We may never recover the kind of faith in our leaders — belief that people in power generally tell the truth and know what they’re doing — that we used to have. Nor should we. But if we stand up to the kakistocracy — rule by the worst — that’s emerging as we speak, we may eventually find our way back to a better world. 2024 December 9, Paul Krugman, “My Last Column: Finding Hope in an Age of Resentment”, in New York Times:
Is there a nobler or more disinterested aim than to educate the cadres, the elites of tomorrow? 1964 August 7, “France's Culture Corps”, in Time:
constituting an elite
An individual member of such a group.
Someone who is among the best at a certain task.
The Nations League results have also seen England respond to an ongoing criticism that they fail to beat the top sides, with even Southgate insisting they could not be considered among the world's elite until they beat the best. The World Cup did nothing to answer those questions. 2018 November 18, Phil McNulty, “England 2 - 1 Croatia”, in BBC Sport:
sv elit (group with higher status) · ca elit (group with higher status) · de Oberschicht (group with higher status) · th ชนชั้นนำ (group with higher status) · he אליטה (group with higher status) · th หัวกะทิ (person who is among the best at certain task) · th อภิชน (group with higher status) · fi huippu (person who is among the best at certain task) · ja エリート (group with higher status) · et eliit (group with higher status) · eo elito (group with higher status) · ar نُخْبَة (group with higher status) · de Elite (person who is among the best at certain task) · mk ели́та (group with higher status) · kk элита (group with higher status) · km វរជន (group with higher status) · nb elite (group with higher status) · ro elită (group with higher status) · lt elitas (group with higher status) · ru эли́та (group with higher status) · nl elite (group with higher status) · hu elit (group with higher status) · fi eliitti (group with higher status) · az elita (group with higher status) · pt elite (person who is among the best at certain task) · id elite (group with higher status) · tr seçkinler (group with higher status) · th ชั้นยอด (person who is among the best at certain task) · es elite (group with higher status) · el ελίτ (group with higher status) · tl kapilian (group with higher status) · pl elita (group with higher status) · hy վերնախավ (group with higher status) · ko 엘리트 (group with higher status) · ka ელიტა (group with higher status) · el αφρόκρεμα (group with higher status) · pl najlepsza (person who is among the best at certain task) · uk елі́та (group with higher status) · ja 精鋭 (group with higher status) · sq elitë (group with higher status) · km អ្នកខ្ពស់ (person who is among the best at certain task) · pt elite (group with higher status) · th ชั้นนำ (person who is among the best at certain task) · lv elite (group with higher status) · fa-ira اِلیت (group with higher status) · mg sangany (group with higher status) · pt escol (group with higher status) · pl najlepszy (person who is among the best at certain task) · it élite (group with higher status) · de Elite (group with higher status) · gl elite (group with higher status) · cmn 精英 (group with higher status) · be элі́та (group with higher status) · fa-ira نُخْبِه (group with higher status) · th อีลีท (group with higher status) · he עילית (group with higher status) · bg ели́та (group with higher status) · sh елѝта (group with higher status) · uz elita (group with higher status) · th อติชน (group with higher status) · hy էլիտա (group with higher status) · de Führungsschicht (group with higher status) · da elite (group with higher status) · de Auslese (group with higher status) · nl top- (person who is among the best at certain task) · vi giới tinh hoa (group with higher status) · de Spitzengruppe (group with higher status) · cs elita (group with higher status) · sk elita (group with higher status) · de Spitze (group with higher status) · cmn 精英 (person who is among the best at certain task) · sl elita (group with higher status) · pl socjeta (group with higher status) · fr élite (group with higher status) · sh elìta (group with higher status) · ms elit (group with higher status) · tg элита (group with higher status) · es élite (group with higher status) · ky элита (group with higher status) · fi parhaimmisto (group with higher status) · vi giới thượng lưu (group with higher status) · ja 選り抜き (group with higher status)