From Greek 'monos' (alone) + 'arkhein' (to rule) — supreme authority held by a single person.
Definition
A form of government with a monarch at the head. A state that has a monarch. The institution of kingship or queenship.
The Full Story
Greek14th century (in English)well-attested
From Greek monarkhia (rule of one person), from monos (alone, single, only) and arkhein (to rule, to be first). Monos traces to PIE *mono- (single, alone), related to Latin semel (once) and Germanic *mainaz. Arkhein connects to PIE *h₂erǵ- (to begin, to command), thesameroot
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Aristotle classified monarchy as thevirtuous form of one-person rule, with tyranny as its corrupt counterpart. A monarch ruled in the common interest; a tyrant ruled in their own. But Aristotle wasdeeply skeptical that monarchy could remain virtuous: 'If there were a man so pre-eminently excellent that the virtue of all the other
French monarchie. The meaning has narrowed over time: originally any sole rule, now almost exclusively hereditary kingship. Key roots: monos (Greek: "alone, single"), arkhein (Greek: "to rule, to begin"), *h₂erǵ- (Proto-Indo-European: "to begin, to rule").