monarchy

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English monarchie,^[2][3] borrowed from Middle French monarchie (“rule by a single sovereign”), recorded in Old French from about 1270,^[4][5][6] from Late Latin monarchia (“government by a single ruler”),^[5][4][3] which the OED counts as a second source of the English word.^[4] The Anglo-Norman form is recorded from 1280–1307 for a state ruled by a single sovereign.^[7] The Latin noun comes from Ancient Greek μοναρχία (monarkhía, “the rule of one”),^[5][3][8] from μόναρχος (mónarkhos, “monarch”), also μονάρχης (monárkhēs),^[3][9][4] formed from μόνος (mónos, “alone”) and ἄρχειν (árkhein, “to rule”).^[10][5] Etymonline traces the first part to Proto-Indo-European *men- (“small, isolated”).^[5] Compare Italian monarchia (about 1308), Spanish monarquía (early 15th century) and Portuguese monarquia (1553).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A kingdom, the territory ruled by a monarch: mid-14th century in Etymonline;^[5] the OED's first example of this sense is in Castleford's Chronicle (before 1425, perhaps composed before 1350).^[4] The OED's earliest dated record is in Gower's Confessio Amantis (before 1393), for exclusive sovereignty or absolute power.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Rule by one person with supreme power is recorded from the late 14th century,^[5][4] and the form of government in which supreme power is held by a monarch from the early 15th century in Etymonline;^[5] the OED dates a state governed in this way to about 1475, in Lydgate, and rule by a single sovereign as a system to 1597.^[4] The sense "territory of a monarch" died out in the 19th century.^[4][6] From 1585 the word was used for supremacy or control over something, a use now rare;^[4] from 1595 it was used for the undivided rule of a deity, especially the millennial reign of Christ, as in Fifth Monarchy.^[4] In 1747 it came to mean the office of monarch, and then the royal family itself.^[4] Johnson (1755) gave two senses, government by a single person and kingdom or empire.^[11]

Timeline

• mid-14th century – a kingdom, a territory ruled by a monarch.^[5]
• before 1393 – exclusive sovereignty, absolute power (now obsolete).^[4]
• late 14th century – rule by one person with supreme power.^[5]
• c. 1475 – a state governed by a monarch.^[4]
• 1585 – supremacy or control over something.^[4]
• 1595 – the undivided rule of a deity.^[4]
• 1597 – rule by a single sovereign; hereditary headship of the state.^[4]
• 1747 – the office of monarch; the royal family.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A form of government in which supreme power rests with one person, usually a hereditary king or queen, whose powers may range from absolute to merely ceremonial.^[12][13][4]
2. A state or country ruled by a monarch: Norway is a monarchy.^[12][13][4]
3. Undivided rule or absolute sovereignty by one person.^[13][4]
4. The office of monarch; the monarch and the royal family.^[4]

Word family

• monarchial
• antimonarchy
• absolute monarchy
• constitutional monarchy
• limited monarchy

Related words

• monarch
• anarchy
• oligarchy
• hierarchy
• archon

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
3. ^ a b c d Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
8. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Merriam-Webster's Book of Word Histories, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
10. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
11. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
12. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
13. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster