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 • (árkhōn) 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 árkhōn	τὼ ᾰ̓́ρχοντε tṑ árkhonte	οἱ ᾰ̓́ρχοντες hoi árkhontes
Genitive	τοῦ ᾰ̓́ρχοντος toû árkhontos	τοῖν ᾰ̓ρχόντοιν toîn arkhóntoin	τῶν ᾰ̓ρχόντων tôn arkhóntōn
Dative	τῷ ᾰ̓́ρχοντῐ tôi árkhonti	τοῖν ᾰ̓ρχόντοιν toîn arkhóntoin	τοῖς ᾰ̓́ρχουσῐ / ᾰ̓́ρχουσῐν toîs árkhousi(n)
Accusative	τὸν ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰ tòn árkhonta	τὼ ᾰ̓́ρχοντε tṑ árkhonte	τοὺς ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰς toùs árkhontas
Vocative	ᾰ̓́ρχον árkhon	ᾰ̓́ρχοντε árkhonte	ᾰ̓́ρχοντες árkhontes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Related terms

• ἀρχός (arkhós)

Participle

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

1. present active participle of ᾰ̓́ρχω (árkhō)

Inflection

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 árkhōn	ᾰ̓́ρχουσᾰ árkhousa	ᾰ̓́ρχον árkhon		ᾰ̓́ρχοντε árkhonte	ᾰ̓ρχούσᾱ arkhoúsā	ᾰ̓́ρχοντε árkhonte		ᾰ̓́ρχοντες árkhontes	ᾰ̓́ρχουσαι árkhousai	ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰ árkhonta
Genitive		ᾰ̓́ρχοντος árkhontos	ᾰ̓ρχούσης arkhoúsēs	ᾰ̓́ρχοντος árkhontos		ᾰ̓ρχόντοιν arkhóntoin	ᾰ̓ρχούσαιν arkhoúsain	ᾰ̓ρχόντοιν arkhóntoin		ᾰ̓ρχόντων arkhóntōn	ᾰ̓ρχουσῶν arkhousôn	ᾰ̓ρχόντων arkhóntōn
Dative		ᾰ̓́ρχοντῐ árkhonti	ᾰ̓ρχούσῃ arkhoúsēi	ᾰ̓́ρχοντῐ árkhonti		ᾰ̓ρχόντοιν arkhóntoin	ᾰ̓ρχούσαιν arkhoúsain	ᾰ̓ρχόντοιν arkhóntoin		ᾰ̓́ρχουσῐ / ᾰ̓́ρχουσῐν árkhousi(n)	ᾰ̓ρχούσαις arkhoúsais	ᾰ̓́ρχουσῐ / ᾰ̓́ρχουσῐν árkhousi(n)
Accusative		ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰ árkhonta	ᾰ̓́ρχουσᾰν árkhousan	ᾰ̓́ρχον árkhon		ᾰ̓́ρχοντε árkhonte	ᾰ̓ρχούσᾱ arkhoúsā	ᾰ̓́ρχοντε árkhonte		ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰς árkhontas	ᾰ̓ρχούσᾱς arkhoúsās	ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰ árkhonta
Vocative		ᾰ̓́ρχων árkhōn	ᾰ̓́ρχουσᾰ árkhousa	ᾰ̓́ρχον árkhon		ᾰ̓́ρχοντε árkhonte	ᾰ̓ρχούσᾱ arkhoúsā	ᾰ̓́ρχοντε árkhonte		ᾰ̓́ρχοντες árkhontes	ᾰ̓́ρχουσαι árkhousai	ᾰ̓́ρχοντᾰ árkhonta
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 (2006–2024)
• 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.