n., pl., elite, or e·lites.
- A group or class of persons or a member of such a group or class, enjoying superior intellectual, social, or economic status: "In addition to notions of social equality there was much emphasis on the role of elites and of heroes within them" (Times Literary Supplement).
- The best or most skilled members of a group: the football team's elite.
- A size of type on a typewriter, equal to 12 characters per linear inch.
[French élite, from Old French eslite, from feminine past participle of eslire, to choose, from Latin ēligere. See elect.]
elite e·lite' adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
