archon

American  

[ahr-kon] / ˈɑr kɒn /

noun

1. a higher magistrate in ancient Athens.

2. any ruler.

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archon British  

/ ˈɑːkɒn, -kən /

noun

1. (in ancient Athens) one of the nine chief magistrates

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• archonship
  noun

Etymology

Origin of archon

1650–60; < Greek árchōn magistrate, ruler, noun use of present participle of árchein to be first, rule; see archi-

Explanation

An archon is a leader. It could refer to the President of the United States, a top personality of the fashion world, or a really important person in dog training circles. This term, while often used in a general, poetic sense, was also a title in Ancient Greece. It was often used for a chief magistrate, or a person who enforces the law. Archon comes from a Greek word meaning "to be first." The arch- part of this root word is shared with monarch, another type of leader, and with the arch- in words like archbishop, a head bishop.