Where does “anarchy” come from?
Anarchy comes from New Latin anarchia, from Ancient Greek ἀναρχία, combining ἀν- (without) and ἄρχω (to rule).
anarchy (English): The state of a society being without authorities...
Definitions
- The state of a society being without authorities...
Ancestry of “anarchy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Latin | anarchia | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἀναρχία | lack of a leader; lawlessness, anarchy |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἀν- | Alternative form of ἀ- used before a vowel;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ὀρθός | straight, upright, erect; straight forward, in a... |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | ortʰwós | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃r̥dʰwós | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃erdʰ- | to increase, grow; upright, high |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |