clique
noun /kliːk/
/kliːk/
[countable + singular or plural verb] (often disapproving)- a small group of people who spend their time together and do not allow others to join them
- The club is dominated by a small clique of intellectuals.
Word Originearly 18th cent.: from French, from Old French cliquer ‘make a noise’; the modern sense is related to claque.