coterie
UK[ˈkəʊtəri]US[ˈkoʊtəri]
n
a small group of people who share a particular interest or taste and often exclude others.
n
a close-knit, often exclusive, circle of friends or associates.
Etymology
the word "coterie" entered english in the 18th century from french, where it originally denoted an association of peasants or tenants. its journey begins with the old french "cotier," meaning "cottager," which itself derives from "cote," a small cottage or hut. this literal sense of a group sharing a humble dwelling evolved in french to mean any exclusive society or clique. english borrowed this abstract social meaning, shedding the original rustic connotations. the term now elegantly captures the idea of a select, often private, social circle, tracing a path from shared physical space to shared social or intellectual affinity.
Analysis
this word is a loanword from french and is treated as a simplex unit in english. its internal french morphemes (coterie from middle french "coterie," from old french "cotier," meaning "cottager") are not active or transparent in modern english spelling and word formation.
Examples
she moved in a fashionable coterie of artists and writers.
the policy was debated only within the prime minister's inner coterie.
he found the literary coterie at the university to be rather insular.