junta
UK[ˈhʊntə]US[ˈhʊntə]
n
a military or political group that rules a country after taking power by force
n
a small group of people, especially military officers, who jointly rule a country, often after a coup
Etymology
the english word 'junta' is a direct borrowing from spanish, where it originally meant a 'council' or 'meeting'. the spanish term itself derives from the latin 'iuncta', the feminine past participle of 'iungere', meaning 'to join'. this etymological root reflects the core concept of a group of people joined together for a purpose. in english, the term's meaning narrowed and specialized in the 17th century, coming to refer specifically to a political or military clique, especially one that has seized power, thereby carrying a connotation of a self-appointed, often authoritarian, governing body.
Analysis
the word is a direct loanword from spanish and is not productively segmented into meaningful morphemes in english.
Examples
the country was ruled by a military junta for over a decade.
after the coup, a junta of three generals assumed control of the government.
the ruling junta was finally overthrown in a popular uprising.