cartel

Meanings

Plural: cartels

Noun

a consortium of independent organizations formed to limit competition by controlling the production and distribution of a product or service
A group of businesses or nations that collude to limit competition within an industry or market.
A combination of political groups (notably parties) for common action.
A written letter of defiance or challenge.
An official agreement concerning the exchange of prisoners.
A ship used to negotiate with an enemy in time of war, and to exchange prisoners.

Origin / Etymology

In the business sense, borrowed from German Kartell, first used by Eugen Richter in 1871 in the Reichstag. In the political sense, which was the vehicle for this metaphor, the English sense, like the German sense, was borrowed from French cartel in the sixteenth century, from Italian cartello, diminutive of carta (“card, page”), from Latin charta.

Synonyms

combine, corporate trust, trust

Scrabble Score: 8

cartel is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
cartel is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
cartel is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

cartel is a valid Words With Friends word