cadre

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
cadre /ˈkɑːdə, ˈkɑːdr(ə), ˈkadri/

▶noun

• 1 a small group of people trained for a particular purpose or profession.

• 2 also /ˈkeɪdə/ a group of activists in a communist or other revolutionary organization.

– origin C19: from Fr., from Ital. quadro, from L. quadrus ‘square’.