Anarchy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈæ.nə.ki/

Definitions

1. A state of disorder and lawlessness resulting from the absence of governmental authority or control
2. The rejection of all hierarchical systems of control in favor of voluntary cooperation or chaotic breakdown of organized society
3. A condition where no recognized authority governs, causing societal disorder ; a belief system that opposes all forms of imposed power, favoring self-managed cooperation

Etymology: In ancient Greek, "anarkhos" meant "without a leader" or "without a ruler," and the word was not a political insult. The root "arkhē" meant beginning, origin, or rule, and the same stem gave Greeks words for magistrates and for "monarchy." Adding the negating prefix "an-" produced a term for the absence of rule, a sense that could describe a state with no one in charge. The Greek noun "anarkhia" passed into New Latin as "anarchia," and English borrowed it from there. Its use in English came to carry the chaotic sense it has now: a lack of government was seen as leading straight to disorder. The English word therefore names both the missing authority and the confusion that follows from it.

Synonyms: chaos, lawlessness, disorder, turmoil, confusion

Antonyms: order, government, control, authority, regulation