'aristocratism' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from the noun 'aristocrat' plus the suffix '-ism'.

'aristocrat' traces back to Greek 'aristokratēs' (from 'aristos' meaning 'best' + 'kratos' meaning 'rule'); the Greek term passed into Latin and French (e.g. 'aristocratia'/'aristocrate') and then into English, and 'aristocratism' later developed in English by adding '-ism' to express a system or doctrine.

Initially it referred to 'rule by the best' (literal sense from Greek), but over time it evolved to denote the political or social dominance of a hereditary or socially privileged elite and the ideology favoring that dominance.