nomenklatura

noun noh-men-klah-TOO-rah Rare

Origin: Russian/Latin nomenclatura, from nomen 'name' + calare 'to call'

Also means

ruling elite

Usage Note

Nomenklatura refers to the privileged ruling class of a bureaucratic or political system, borrowed directly from Soviet political vocabulary. In Italian, it takes the feminine article: la nomenklatura. It is used in journalistic and political contexts to describe any entrenched power elite, not just Soviet-era officials.

Examples

"La nomenklatura del partito controlla tutto."

Natural Translation

The party nomenklatura controls everything.

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