| a combining form that represents the outcome of archi- in words borrowed through Latin from Greek in the Old English period; it subsequently became a productive form added to nouns of any origin, which thus denote individuals or institutions directing or having authority over others of their class (archbishop; archdiocese; archpriest). More recently, arch-1 has developed the senses “principal” (archenemy; archrival) or “prototypical” and thus exemplary or extreme (archconservative); nouns so formed are almost always pejorative. |
| a combining form with the general sense “first, principal,” that is prefixed to nouns denoting things that are earliest, most basic, or bottommost (archiblast; archiphoneme; architrave); or denoting individuals who direct or have authority over others of their class, usually named by the base noun (archimandrite; architect). |
| arch- 1 pref.
[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-. |
| archi- or arch- pref.
[French archi- and Italian arci-, both from Latin archi-, from Greek arkhi-, arkh-, from arkhein, to begin, rule.] |
archi- or arch- or arche-
pref.
Earlier; primitive: archenteron.
