ˈärˌkän, -_kən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin, from Greek archōn, from present participle of archein to rule, begin — more at archi-
1. : a chief magistrate in ancient Athens ; especially : one of nine chief magistrates in Athens after 683 B.C. with executive, judicial, religious, military, legislative, and administrative functions
2. : a magistrate of any of the Jewish communities of the Diaspora in the Greco-Roman period
3. : a ruler, high official, presiding officer, or leader
George Ripley, archon of the Farm, built Brook Farm in the image of his belief — Tom Brooks
4.
[Middle Greek, from Greek]
Eastern Church
a. : an ecclesiastical official who directs special services of a cathedral
b. : an ecclesiastic who administers various business matters of the churches of a patriarchate