coterie
noun /ˈkəʊtəri/
/ˈkəʊtəri/
[countable + singular or plural verb] (formal, often disapproving)- a small group of people who have the same interests and do things together but do not like to include others
- her little coterie of friends and advisers
- a literary coterie
- He surrounded himself with an elite coterie of political advisors.
- His work attracted a coterie of admirers in the US.
Word Originearly 18th cent.: from French, earlier denoting an association of tenants, based on Middle Low German kote ‘cote’, a shelter for mammals or birds.