monarch

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈmɒnək/ (UK); /ˈmɑnɚk/, /ˈmɑnɑɹk/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English monarke,^[2][3][4] borrowed from Middle French monarque or directly borrowed from Late Latin monarcha,^[2][3][4][5] from Ancient Greek μονάρχης (monárkhēs), μόναρχος (mónarkhos, “one who rules alone”),^[2][3][4][5] from μόνος (mónos, “alone, single”) (see mono-) and ἄρχειν (árkhein, “to rule, be first”) (see -arch).^[2][3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A sole and absolute ruler of a state (probably before 1439 in Barnhart; c. 1450 in the OED; mid-15th century in Etymonline).^[3][7][4]

Semantic evolution

In modern use the word means a sovereign such as a king, queen or emperor, generally hereditary and with more or less limited powers.^[7][4] Figuratively it is a person or thing that holds a dominant position (1581).^[7][5] In 19th-century slang a monarch was the coin called a sovereign (1851).^[7] The large orange and black American butterfly has been called the monarch since 1885–90.^[4][7] The related word monarchy is older, before 1350.^[3]

Timeline

• before 1350 – monarchie.^[3]
• c. 1439 – monarke, a sole ruler.^[3]
• 1581 – a dominant person or thing.^[7]
• 1851 – a sovereign (coin, slang).^[7]
• 1890 – the monarch butterfly.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who reigns over a state, usually for life and by hereditary right, either as a sole and absolute ruler or as a sovereign with constitutionally limited authority, such as a king or empress.
2. A person or thing that surpasses others in power or pre-eminence.
3. A monarch butterfly, a large orange and black migratory butterfly that feeds on milkweed.

Word family

• monarchal
• Monarchian
• monarchical
• monarchism

Related words

• monarchy
• monarchist
• mono-
• -arch
• anarchy
• oligarch

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press