Anarch

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A rebel who defies authority and refuses to accept established rule ; an advocate of the political belief that society should exist without government
2. Someone who opposes all ruling power and order ; a supporter of the theory that the state and its hierarchies should be abolished
3. An insurgent against established hierarchy ; a follower of the doctrine that rejects all governing authority in favor of voluntary association

Etymology: "Anarch" is a compound built from two Greek pieces: the prefix "an-", meaning "not" or "without," and the suffix "-arch," from Greek "arkhos," meaning "ruler" or "leader." Put together, it describes someone who rules without a ruler, or a person who opposes all rule. The "-arch" element is familiar from words like "monarch" (one ruler) and "patriarch" (father-ruler), so "anarch" sits naturally among them, its meaning fixed by the negating prefix. The sense of the word is the reverse of what its prefix might suggest at first glance. Rather than describing a leaderless state, it names a person who actively rejects all authority, and the word thus fits within the political vocabulary of anarchism, the belief that governments should be abolished. English took the root "-arch" largely through Greek-derived learned coinages, and "anarch" follows that pattern as a deliberate formation rather than a word that grew up gradually in everyday speech.

Synonyms: anarchist, rebel, revolutionary

Antonyms: monarch