I. ˈmänə(r)k, -äˌnärk, -ˌnȧk noun
( -s )
Etymology: Late Latin monarcha, from Greek monarchēs, monarchos, from mon- + -archēs, -archos arch (n. comb. form)
1. : a person who reigns over a major territorial unit (as a kingdom or empire) usually for life and by hereditary succession: as
a. : one invested with sovereign power and exercising direct and effective control over the functions of government
an absolute monarch
b. : one acting primarily as chief of state and carrying out political functions limited in nature and extent (as by custom or a written constitution)
a constitutional monarch
— compare czar , emperor , kaiser , king , queen
2. : one held to resemble a monarch in sovereign power or preeminent position
the live oak is the monarch of the Texas low forests — American Guide Series: Texas
of as much interest to them as the business of any money monarch is to him — H.R.Penniman
cotton, monarch of the textile world — Wall Street Journal
3. also monarch butterfly : a large American butterfly ( Danaus plexippus ) having orange-brown wings with black veins and borders and characterized by larvae that feed on milkweed and by an annual two-way migration — compare viceroy 2
[s]monarch.jpg[/s] [
monarch butterfly
]
II. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to play the monarch — often used with it
monarchs it in his own closet — Common Sense
III. adjective
Etymology: mon- + -arch (adjective comb. form)
: having only one xylem strand or group — used especially of roots