arch-


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arch-

(word root)
1. principal
Examples: archenemy
2. prototypical
Examples: archetype
3. chief, leader, ruler
Examples: monarch, matriarch
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

arch- 1

pref.
1. Chief; highest; most important: archenemy.
2. Extreme or most characteristic of its kind: archconservative.
[Middle English arche-, from Old English ærce- and from Old French arche-, both from Latin archi-, from Greek arkhi-, archi-.]

arch- 2

pref.
Variant of archi-.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

arch-

or

archi-

combining form
1. chief; principal; of highest rank: archangel; archbishop; archduke.
2. eminent above all others of the same kind; extreme: archenemy; archfiend; archfool.
[ultimately from Greek arkhi-, from arkhein to rule]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

arch1

(ɑrtʃ)

n.
1. a curved construction spanning an opening and usu. supporting weight from above or the sides.
2. a doorway or gateway having a curved head; archway.
3. any overhead curvature resembling an arch.
4. something bowed or curved: the arch of the foot.
v.t.
5. to cover or span with an arch.
6. to form into an arch: a cat arching its back.
v.i.
7. to form an arch: elms arching over the road.
[1250–1300; < Old French arche < Vulgar Latin *arca, feminine variant of Latin arcus arc]

arch2

(ɑrtʃ)

adj.
1. coyly roguish or ironic.
2. crafty; sly.
[1545–55; independent use of arch-1]
arch′ly, adv.
arch′ness, n.

arch-1

,
a combining form used to create nouns that denote individuals or institutions directing or having authority over others of their class (archbishop; archdiocese; archpriest); also meaning “principal” (archenemy; archrival) or “prototypical” and thus exemplary or extreme (archconservative).
[Old English arce-, < Latin archi- < Greek; see archi-]

arch-2

,
var. of archi- before a vowel: archangel.

-arch

a combining form meaning “chief, leader, ruler”: matriarch; monarch.
[< Greek -archos or -archēs, as comb. forms of árchos leader]

Arch.

Archbishop.

arch.

1. archaic.
2. archery.
3. archipelago.
4. architect; architecture.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

arch-

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations

arch-

[ɑːtʃ] pref → grande
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
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