Where does “hierarchy” come from?
Hierarchy comes from Middle English jerarchie, from Old French ierarchie, from Latin hierarchia, from Ancient Greek ἱεραρχία, a compound of ἱερά (sacred) and ἀρχή (rule or authority).
hierarchy (English): A body of authoritative officials organized in...
Definitions
- A body of authoritative officials organized in...
Ancestry of “hierarchy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ierarchie | — |
| 2 | Old French | ierarchie | — |
| 3 | Late Latin | ierarchia | — |
| 4 | Latin | hierarchia | hierarchy |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἱεραρχία | spiritual superiority; prelacy, prelature;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἱεράρχης | high priest; hierarch; bishop |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -άρχης | -arch |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | -ής | adjective suffix |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |
Words derived from “hierarchy”