Word of the Day:

October 30, 2021

arch

adjective AHRCH

What it Means

Arch means "principal or chief."

// The hero's arch enemy wounded him, enabling her escape.

Arch in Context

"Not being able to thank whoever gave this gift is causing me so much anguish I’ve started wondering if I have an arch nemesis, who sent it purely to torment me. If so, arch nemesis: my compliments." — Polly Hudson, The Mirror (UK), 24 Aug. 2021

More example sentences

Did You Know?

As a prefix, arch- appears in a number of titles referring to positions of superiority, such as archduke and archbishop; it can also mean "chief" (as in archnemesis) or "extreme" (archconservative). It comes from the Greek verb archein, meaning "to begin or to rule."