aristarchy
Government by the best people.
countable, uncountable
All good and wholesome laws, virtue and truth above all things, and aristarchy, live forever. But woe to tyrants, mobs, aristocracy, anarchy, and toryism […]
A body of such rulers.
countable, uncountable
[A Presbyterian session] is […] a court of monarchs, or aristarchs, who hold their office for life; a limited monarchy […] or, more strictly, an aristarchy of rulers appointed for life, and ruling on the principle of elective aristarchy.
Where it comes from
From Ancient Greek ἄριστος (áristos, “best”) + -αρχία (-arkhía, “rule”).
Adapted from the Wiktionary entry aristarchy (CC BY-SA 4.0).