exarch 1[ek-sahrk] ExamplesWord Origin noun
- Eastern Church.
- a patriarch’s deputy.
- a title originally applied to a patriarch but later applied only to a bishop ranking below a patriarch and above a metropolitan.
- the ruler of a province in the Byzantine Empire.
Origin of exarch 1 1580–90; Late Latin exarchus superintendent Greek éxarchos overseer, leader, equivalent to ex- ex-3 + -archos -arch Related formsex·arch·al, adjective exarch 2[ek-sahrk] adjective Botany.
- (of a primary xylem or root) developing from the center; having the youngest cells closest to the core.
Origin of exarch 2 1890–95; ex-2 + Greek archḗ beginning Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 Examples from the Web for exarch Historical Examples of exarch
They were discovered, and fled to Ravenna, where the Exarch held his court.
The Eighteen Christian Centuries
James White
I first met the Exarch some years ago while on a visit to Bulgaria.
The Passing of the Turkish Empire in Europe
B. Granville Baker
The Exarch Paul fled to the lagoons and appealed to Orso for help.
Thomas Okey
The latter commission is presided over by the “exarch” (supra).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 9
Various
The exarch is established at Ravenna, representing the Emperor of the East.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 4
Various
British Dictionary definitions for exarch exarch 1 noun
- the head of certain autonomous Orthodox Christian Churches, such as that of Bulgaria and Cyprus
- any of certain Eastern Orthodox bishops, lower in rank than a patriarch but higher than a metropolitan
- the governor of a province in the Byzantine Empire
Derived Formsexarchal, adjectiveWord Origin for exarch C16: from Late Latin exarchus overseer, from Greek exarkhos, from exarkhein to take the lead, from arkhein to rule exarch 2 adjective
- botany (of a xylem strand) having the first-formed xylem external to that formed laterCompare endarch, mesarch
Word Origin for exarch C19: from ex- 1 (outside) + Greek arkhē beginning, origin Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for exarch n.
from Late Latin exarchus, from Greek exarkhos, from ex (see ex- (2)) + arkhos “leader, chief, ruler” (see archon).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper