Archy

¹

[ ahr-chee ]

noun

1. a first name, form of Archibald.

-archy

²

1. a combining form meaning “rule,” “government,” forming abstract nouns usually corresponding to personal nouns ending in -arch:

   monarchy; oligarchy.

-archy

combining form

1. government; rule

   monarchy

   anarchy

Derived Forms

• -archic, combining_form:in_adjective
• -archist, combining_form:in_noun:countable

Word History and Origins

Origin of Archy¹

Middle English -archie < Latin -archia < Greek, equivalent to arch ( os ) or -arch ( ēs ) -arch + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of Archy¹

from Greek -arkhia; see -arch

Example Sentences

Ursula Granger had given birth to a boy named Archy, who later died.

From Literature

Constructed out of loose, brisk chapters with little punctuation or capitalization — the cat is plainly an alumnus of the Archy and Mehitabel school of talking-animal prose — the plot is effectively a series of trials.

From Los Angeles Times

A history of the most ecologically diverse and multicultural state in the country, from the “conflict, turmoil and violence” of Indigenous dispossession to the resistance of people like Archy Lee and Marilyn Greene.

From New York Times

There’s a fine line between sensitivity and self-aggrandisement, one that both King Krule’s Archy Marshall and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker get on the right side of on their new albums.

From The Guardian

“Don’t know exactly,” replies Archy.

From The Guardian

Words That Use -archy

What does -archy mean?

The combining form -archy is used like a suffix meaning “rule” or “government.” It is often used in technical terms, especially in sociology.

The form -archy comes from Greek -archēs, meaning “rule, government.”

What are variants of -archy?

While -archy doesn’t have any variants, it is related to the form -arch, as in matriarch. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for -arch.

Examples of -archy

An example of a word you may have encountered that features -archy is matriarchy, “a family, society, community, or state governed by women.”

Matri- is a form that means “mother,” from Latin māter, while the -archy portion of the word means “government.” Matriarchy literally translates to “government by mothers.”

What are some words that use the equivalent of the combining form -archy in Greek?

• exarchy
• monarchy
• oligarchy
• patriarchy
• tetrarchy

What are some other forms that -archy may be commonly confused with?

• -ard
• -arian
• -ary

Break it down!

The combining form mon- means “alone, single.” With this in mind, what does monarchy literally mean?