cartel
noun
[ kɑːˈtɛl ]
• an association of manufacturers or suppliers with the purpose of maintaining prices at a high level and restricting competition.
• "the Colombian drug cartels"
Origin:
late 19th century: from German Kartell, from French cartel, from Italian cartello, diminutive of carta, from Latin carta (see card1). It was originally used to refer to the coalition of the Conservatives and National Liberal parties in Germany (1887), and hence any political combination; later to denote a trade agreement (early 20th century).
