Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump To:
  • Archy
    Archy
    noun
    a first name, form of Archibald.
  • -archy
    -archy
    a combining form meaning “rule,” “government,” forming abstract nouns usually corresponding to personal nouns ending in -arch:

Archy

1 American  
[ahr-chee] / ˈɑr tʃi /

noun

  1. a first name, form of Archibald.


-archy 2 American  
  1. a combining form meaning “rule,” “government,” forming abstract nouns usually corresponding to personal nouns ending in -arch:

    monarchy; oligarchy.


-archy British  

combining form

  1. government; rule

    anarchy

    monarchy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of -archy

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“How long did it take to realize something so obvious, so easy to predict, so blindingly stupid?” asked Archy Dosburg.

From Fox News Apr. 26, 2019

Who could have imagined King Krule, the snarling London art-punk project from singer Archy Marshall, sharing a stage with Los Tigres del Norte within a few hours of each other?

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 12, 2017

They've spent the last hour trying to rehearse for a Boiler Room session, but Archy Marshall, better known as King Krule, didn't turn up to practise one of the tracks they've recorded together.

From The Guardian May 24, 2013

I know this is the biggest cliché in the world, but in thinking about Archy and Nat and their record store, I was thinking about Huck and Jim on the raft.

From Salon Sep. 20, 2012

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

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training