nomenklatura

The story

1. Latin · derived fromnōmenclātūra“a calling by name, list of names”
2. Russian · borrowed fromноменклату́ра
3. English todaynomenklatura

Borrowed from Russian номенклату́ра (nomenklatúra), from Latin nōmenclātūra (“a calling by name, list of names”), from nomen (“name”) + calare (“call”). Doublet of nomenclature.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 20th c. A list of bureaucratic posts in government and industry in the former Soviet Union and other communist countries, filled by those appointed by the Party.
• from 20th c. The people on such lists; (by extension), any privileged class, a social or political elite.