junto
UK[ˈdʒʌntəʊ]US[ˈhʊntoʊ]
n
a small, secret political group or faction, especially one formed for subversive purposes.
Etymology
the word 'junto' entered english in the 17th century, borrowed directly from the spanish word 'junto', meaning 'joined' or 'together'. spanish inherited this from latin 'iunctus', the past participle of 'iungere', meaning 'to join'. the latin verb stems from the proto-indo-european root yeug-, meaning 'to join' or 'to yoke'. in english, the term was notably used to describe the whig faction advising king william iii and later evolved to denote any secretive, cabal-like political group, thus shifting from a general descriptor of a joined state to a specific term for a conspiratorial assembly.
Analysis
this word is a loanword from spanish, where it is the past participle of 'juntar' (to join). it was adopted into english as a single lexical unit.
Examples
the radical junto was suspected of plotting against the government.
he was a key member of the powerful junto that controlled the city's politics from behind the scenes.
historical accounts describe the council as being dominated by a small junto of influential merchants.