A cadre is a small group of specially trained people who form the core of a larger organization, especially in the military or politics. They often train or lead others.
From French 'cadre' meaning 'frame,' from Italian 'quadro' meaning 'square' or 'frame,' from Latin 'quadrum.' The idea shifted from a physical frame to the 'framework' of trained people who shape an organization. Political movements in the 19th and 20th centuries popularized the term.
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