nomenklatura
UK[ˌnɒmənkləˈtjʊərə]US[ˌnoʊmənkləˈtʊrə]
n
The system of appointing people to important positions in government or other organizations from a list of candidates approved by the Communist Party, especially in the former Soviet Union.
n
The group of people holding such positions; the privileged ruling class in a communist system.
Morpheme Breakdown
nomen
klatura
nomen
name
klatura
list
Etymology
The word is a direct loan from Russian номенклатура (nomenklatura), which itself was borrowed from the Modern Latin nōmenclātūra, meaning "a list of names". The Latin term is a compound of nōmen ("name") and clātūra (from calāre, "to call" or "to proclaim"). In the Soviet political context, this classical term for a catalog was repurposed to describe the highly secretive and powerful system of appointing loyalists to key posts, thereby creating a privileged bureaucratic class. Thus, the literal meaning of "a list of names" evolved into the abstract concept of the controlling elite and the mechanism of their selection, embodying the core of political patronage in communist states.
Analysis
Structure: nomen (name) + klatura (list)
- nomen: From Latin nōmen, meaning "name". In this compound, it signifies the act of naming or listing.
- klatura: From Russian клатура (klatura), itself a shortening of номенклатура (nomenklatura), ultimately from Latin clātūra, meaning "a list" or "a catalog". It functions as the core noun element.
Examples
He was a member of the party nomenklatura and enjoyed significant privileges.
The nomenklatura system ensured that only politically reliable individuals held positions of authority.
After the collapse of the regime, many from the former nomenklatura transitioned into business.