Words About Groups

1. cabal – a clique; a small group joined in a secret intrigue; a conspiracy. This French word was formed from the initials of Charles II’s ministers (Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, Lauderdale); cabal ultimately derives from the Hebrew word qabbalah, which referred to a mystical interpretation of the Scripture.

2. camaraderie – comradeship; good fellowship. Two soldiers sharing the same room (in German, kammer) usually developed a loyal and warm friendship. The Communist Party adopted the word comrade to denote a fellow member.

3. caste – a distinct social class or system. Hindu society is traditionally divided into four major hereditary castes, each class separated from the others by restrictions in marriage and occupation.

4. cortege – a group of attendants accompanying a person; a ceremonial procession. It is not surprising that cortege is related to court, a place where followers and ceremonies abound.

5. detente – a relaxing or easing, especially of international tension. After the Cold War years following World War II, the U.S. embarked on a policy of closer ties with Russia; hence was born the policy of détente.

6. echelon – a level of command or authority or rank; a steplike formation of ships, troops, or planes. Coming to English through several languages, the word echelon has descended a ladder starting with the Latin word scale, which indeed means ladder, and explains why we still “scale a ladder”

7. ecumenical – universal; general; fostering Christian unity throughout the world. The idea of ecumenism, as well as the spirit of brotherhood, was fostered by the far-reaching policies of Pope John XXIII

8. elite – the best or most skilled members of a given social group. The word is related to elect and suggest that some people are born with “a silver spoon in their mouth” or at least, are entitled to special privileges. Elite is also used as an adjective.

9. esprit de corps – a sense of union and of common interests and responsibilities. The French expression literally means “spirit of feeling as one body.” It implies not only a camaraderie but a sense of pride or honor shared by those involved in an undertaking.

10. freemasonry – secret or tacit brotherhood; instinctive sympathy. The Freemasons is an international fraternity for the promotion of brotherly love among its members, as well as a mutual assistance. It began in the Middle Ages as a class of skilled stoneworkers who possessed secret signs and passwords, a ritual that is still preserved today.

11. genealogy – lineage; science of family descent. Though our hereditary character is transmitted through genes in our chromosomes, that does not assure us that our genealogy has provided us with the most desirable traits. Much can and does happen as the generations pass.

12. hierarchy – a group of persons or things arranged in order, rank, or grade; a system of church government by clergymen in graded ranks. The Greek word hierarkhes meant “high priest.” From there it was a small step to the designation of the entire church leadership as a hierarchy. With the loss of temporal power by the church after the Middle Ages, the word now refers to any arrangement by authority or position.

13. hobnob – to associate on very friendly terms. The title of the novel To Have and Have Not is an exact translation of the original meaning of hobnob. This word was formed by a combination of the Old English words habban (to have) and navban (not to have). The modern meaning suggests the egalitarian idea of friendship not based on one’s possessions.

14. liaison – the contact maintained between military or naval units in order to undertake concerted action; a similar connection between the units of any organization; an illicit relationship between a man and a woman. This word is a cousin to ligature, a connection on the physical level similar to the connection made on an informational level by a liaison.

15. rapprochement – a reestablishing of cordial relations. If there is to be an end to war, people and nations must learn to meet each other, to approach each other, on common grounds. That is what this word implies, a coming together in friendship and trust.