Patrician

:This is an article about the privileged class in ancient Rome. For other uses of the term, see patrician (disambiguation).

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Patricians were originally the elite caste in ancient Rome. In the time of the late Roman Empire, the term patrician was a specific title given to a high court official.

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The Latin word for "patrician" is patricius (plural patricii). This comes from patr?s (c?nscr?pt?), the plural of pater ("father") and the added sense of "enrolled fathers" (members of the Roman Senate). The word comes down in English as "patrician" from the Middle English patricion, from the Old French patricien.

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Elite: In sociology as in general usage, the ?lite (the "elect," from French) is a relatively small dominant group within a larger society, which enjoys a privileged status which is upheld by individuals of lower social status within the structure of a group. When applied to an individual, as in the phrase...

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