arch-, archi-, -arch

The head abbey of a Benedictine congregation: An example of an archabbey is the Beuron Archabbey located in the Danube valley in Germany.

The head of a Benedictine congregation: In 1887 the Beuron Abbey became the site or center of the Archabbot and the location for the yearly General Chapter of the Congregation.

An angel of the highest rank: An archangel is a member of the second-lowest rank in the medieval order of celestial beings ranking above angels and below principalities.

Pertaining to, relating to, or characterizing an archangel: The choir in the church sang so beautifully and with such archangelical eloquence and smoothness that many in the congregation were deeply touched and had tears in their eyes.

A bishop of the highest rank: An archbishop heads an archdiocese or an ecclesiastical province.

An archbishop can also be described as the chief bishop, the highest dignitary in an episcopal church and the one who superintends the bishops of his province.

The province where the archbishop has authority; archdiocese: In Alice's book, she read about an archbishopric being the area under an archbishop's power, control, or rule.

The chief deacon: Originally an archdeacon was the chief attendant of a bishop, who, through the scope of his duties in relation to the services of the church and the administration of charity, gradually acquired a rank above the priests and next in importance to the bishop.

In the English Church, the archdeacon is appointed by, and gives assistance to the bishop, superintends the rural deans, and holds the lowest ecclesiastical court with the power of spiritual censure.

The see or jurisdiction of an archbishop: The archdiocese is the region that is administered by an archbishop.

The dominion governed by an archduke or archduchess: The Archduchy of Austria was the main territory of the Holy Roman Empire and the center of the Habsburg monarchy.

1. The chief duke: An archduke was formerly the title of the rulers of Austrasia, Lorraine, Brabant, and Austria, being assumed by those of Austria in 1359. Now an archduke is the titular dignity of sons of the Emperor of Austria.
2. Etymology: from Latin arch-, "chief" or "highest ranking" + dux, genitive of ducis, "leader, commander"; from ducere, "to lead".

A chief foe or someone's main or worst rival: In the medieval adventure story Greg was reading, the king and his knights were fighting the archenemy of their land.

For most people, the principle archenemy of their health is cancer.

Referring to the bottom of the sea from the edge of the continental shelf to the upper limit of the abyssobenthic zone, at depths of ca. 200 to 1,000 meters: The archibenthic area is the upper section of the benthic region, from the abyssal to the sublittoral region.

1. A great magician, wizard, or enchanter: Jasmin was told that she had an ancestor in ancient Rome who was an archimage and that people went to him because they were convinced that his prophecies and magical performances were important for their well-being.
2. Etymology: from Greek archi-, "chief, principal" + Greek magos, "magician" and from Latin magi, plural of magus, "magician, learned magician". © ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.

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1. A great wizard, enchanter, magician; archimage.: In the story Susan was reading, the archimagus was portrayed as a terrible witch!
2. The high priest of the Persian Magi: The archimagi were known to be the worshipers of fire.

1. Any sea, or sheet of water, in which there are numerous islands: In her science book, Jill read about the many scattered islands in an ocean termed as archipelagoes.
2. A large group of islands: An example of a cluster of the many land masses smaller than a continent and surrounded by water is the Philippine archipelago.
3. A sea containing a large number of scattered islands; island group; island chain: One intriguing archipelago at the southern point of the Red Sea can be read about in Martin's textbook.

The Aegean Islands, the Bahamas, the Hawaiian Islands, and the Maldives are all typically archipelago, or collections of islands.