cartel

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   an association of independent businesses or producers that coordinate prices, output, or markets in order to limit competition

   Several cement producers were fined for forming a cartel that fixed prices and divided public contracts.

2. 2
   noun

   a large criminal organization, especially one controlling the production and distribution of illegal drugs

   The government charged the cartel with trafficking drugs across the border.

3. 3
   noun

   a formal alliance of political parties or groups for coordinated action, especially in historical European usage

   The small parties formed an electoral cartel and presented a joint list of candidates.

Appears in

The political sense came through French cartel from Italian cartello, 'placard or written challenge,' a diminutive of carta, 'paper.' The modern business sense entered through German Kartell in the nineteenth century, extending the idea of a formal agreement to firms coordinating their conduct.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary