ἄρχων

See also: άρχων and αρχών

Ancient Greek

Etymology

A noun use of the present participle of ἄρχω (árkhō, “to rule”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ár.kʰɔːn/ → /ˈar.xon/ → /ˈar.xon/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ár.kʰɔːn/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈar.kʰon/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈar.xon/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈar.xon/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈar.xon/

Noun

ᾰ̓́ρχων • (ắrkhōn) m (genitive ᾰ̓́ρχοντος); third declension

1. ruler
2. archon, a chief magistrate at Athens

Declension

Third declension of ὁ ᾰ̓́ρχων; τοῦ ᾰ̓́ρχοντος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ ᾰ̓́ρχων ho ắrkhōn	τὼ ᾰ̓́ρχοντε tṑ ắrkhonte	οἱ ᾰ̓́ρχοντες hoi ắrkhontes
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓́ρχοντος toû ắrkhontos	τοῖν ᾰ̓ρχόντοιν toîn ărkhóntoin	τῶν ᾰ̓ρχόντων tôn ărkhóntōn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓́ρχοντῐ tōî ắrkhontĭ	τοῖν ᾰ̓ρχόντοιν toîn ărkhóntoin	τοῖς ᾰ̓́ρχουσῐ / ᾰ̓́ρχουσῐν toîs ắrkhousĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰ tòn ắrkhontă	τὼ ᾰ̓́ρχοντε tṑ ắrkhonte	τοὺς ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰς toùs ắrkhontăs
Vocative	ᾰ̓́ρχον ắrkhon	ᾰ̓́ρχοντε ắrkhonte	ᾰ̓́ρχοντες ắrkhontes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Related terms

• ᾰ̓ρχός (ărkhós)

Participle

ᾰ̓́ρχων • (ắrkhōn) m (feminine ᾰ̓́ρχουσᾰ, neuter ᾰ̓́ρχον); first/third declension

1. present active participle of ᾰ̓́ρχω (ắrkhō)

Declension

First and third declension of ᾰ̓́ρχων; ᾰ̓́ρχουσᾰ; ᾰ̓́ρχον (Attic)

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓́ρχων ắrkhōn	ᾰ̓́ρχουσᾰ ắrkhousă	ᾰ̓́ρχον ắrkhon		ᾰ̓́ρχοντε ắrkhonte	ᾰ̓ρχούσᾱ ărkhoúsā	ᾰ̓́ρχοντε ắrkhonte		ᾰ̓́ρχοντες ắrkhontes	ᾰ̓́ρχουσαι ắrkhousai	ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰ ắrkhontă
Genitive		ᾰ̓́ρχοντος ắrkhontos	ᾰ̓ρχούσης ărkhoúsēs	ᾰ̓́ρχοντος ắrkhontos		ᾰ̓ρχόντοιν ărkhóntoin	ᾰ̓ρχούσαιν ărkhoúsain	ᾰ̓ρχόντοιν ărkhóntoin		ᾰ̓ρχόντων ărkhóntōn	ᾰ̓ρχουσῶν ărkhousôn	ᾰ̓ρχόντων ărkhóntōn
Dative		ᾰ̓́ρχοντῐ ắrkhontĭ	ᾰ̓ρχούσῃ ărkhoúsēi	ᾰ̓́ρχοντῐ ắrkhontĭ		ᾰ̓ρχόντοιν ărkhóntoin	ᾰ̓ρχούσαιν ărkhoúsain	ᾰ̓ρχόντοιν ărkhóntoin		ᾰ̓́ρχουσῐ ᾰ̓́ρχουσῐν ắrkhousĭ(n)	ᾰ̓ρχούσαις ărkhoúsais	ᾰ̓́ρχουσῐ ᾰ̓́ρχουσῐν ắrkhousĭ(n)
Accusative		ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰ ắrkhontă	ᾰ̓́ρχουσᾰν ắrkhousăn	ᾰ̓́ρχον ắrkhon		ᾰ̓́ρχοντε ắrkhonte	ᾰ̓ρχούσᾱ ărkhoúsā	ᾰ̓́ρχοντε ắrkhonte		ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰς ắrkhontăs	ᾰ̓ρχούσᾱς ărkhoúsās	ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰ ắrkhontă
Vocative		ᾰ̓́ρχων ắrkhōn	ᾰ̓́ρχουσᾰ ắrkhousă	ᾰ̓́ρχον ắrkhon		ᾰ̓́ρχοντε ắrkhonte	ᾰ̓ρχούσᾱ ărkhoúsā	ᾰ̓́ρχοντε ắrkhonte		ᾰ̓́ρχοντες ắrkhontes	ᾰ̓́ρχουσαι ắrkhousai	ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰ ắrkhontă
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: άρχοντας (árchontas), άρχων (árchon)
• → Arabic: أَرْخُون (ʔarḵūn), أَرْكُون (ʔarkūn)
• → Aramaic:

  Palmyrene Aramaic: 𐡠𐡴𐡪𐡥𐡮𐡠 (ʾrkwnʾ /⁠ʾarkōnā⁠/)

  Christian Palestinian Aramaic: ܐܪܟܘܢܐ (ʾrkwnʾ /⁠ʾarkōnā⁠/)

  Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, Jewish Literary Aramaic, Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: ארכונא (ʾrkwnʾ /⁠ʾarkōnā⁠/)

  Classical Syriac: ܐܪܟܘܢܐ (ʾrkwnʾ /⁠ʾarkōnā⁠/)

  • Old Armenian: արքուն- (arkʻun-), արքայ (arkʻay)

• → Coptic: ⲁⲣⲭⲱⲛ (arkhōn)
• → Latin: archōn (see there for further descendants)
• → English: archon

Further reading

• “ἄρχων”, in Liddell & Scott (1940), A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ἄρχων”, in Liddell & Scott (1889), An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ἄρχων in Bailly, Anatole (1935), Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• ἄρχων in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2026)
• G758 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• ἄρχων in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007), Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910), English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • chief idem, page 129.
  • funtcionary idem, page 350.
  • governor idem, page 368.
  • lord idem, page 500.
  • magistrate idem, page 507.
  • mayor idem, page 519.
  • officer idem, page 571.
  • prince idem, page 641.
  • regent idem, page 687.
  • ruler idem, page 726.