monarch

[mon-erk, -ahrk] /ˈmɒn ərk, -ɑrk/
noun
1.
a hereditary sovereign, as a king, queen, or emperor.
2.
a sole and absolute ruler of a state or nation.
3.
a person or thing that holds a dominant position:
a monarch of international shipping.
4.
monarch butterfly.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English < Late Latin monarcha < Greek monárchēs sole ruler; see mon-, -arch
Related forms
antimonarch, adjective, noun
Examples from the web for monarch
  • Until you're monarch of the world, everyone can steal your ideas.
  • But you will have reminded the public that no one is supposed to speak to a monarch without being spoken to first.
  • Imagine a monarch butterfly searching for nectar or a mate in a meadow on a humid afternoon in July.
  • On the way to town the daughter witnesses the sad legacy of a gold-obsessed monarch: starving families and ruined, barren fields.
  • The Shah has proved himself to be an enlightened monarch, a distinguished statesman, a wise and able administrator.
  • The fall migration of monarch butterflies is nothing short of navigational wizardry.
  • I've been seeing a ton of monarchs lately.
  • He comes across like a warrior forcing himself to behave like a monarch.
  • Apart from this geographic repositioning, however, he provides few truly new insights on Victoria as a monarch or an individual.
  • Sovereignty has moved from the monarch to parliament.
British Dictionary definitions for monarch

monarch

/ˈmɒnək/
noun
1.
a sovereign head of state, esp a king, queen, or emperor, who rules usually by hereditary right
2.
a supremely powerful or pre-eminent person or thing
3.
Also called milkweed. a large migratory butterfly, Danaus plexippus, that has orange-and-black wings and feeds on the milkweed plant: family Danaidae
Derived Forms
monarchal (mɒˈnɑːkəl), monarchial (mɒˈnɑːkɪəl) adjective
monarchally, adverb
monarchical, monarchic, adjective
monarchically, adverb
monarchism, noun
monarchist, noun, adjective
monarchistic, adjective
Word Origin
C15: from Late Latin monarcha, from Greek; see mono-, -arch
Word Origin and History for monarch
n.

mid-15c., from Middle French monarque (14c.) or directly from Late Latin monarcha, from Greek monarkhes "one who rules alone" (see monarchy). As a type of large butterfly, from 1890.

Encyclopedia Article for monarch

monarch flycatcher

any of about 60 bird species constituting the subfamily Monarchinae of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The term monarch is usually reserved for members of the Australian and Asian genera Monarcha and Hypothymis; the members of about 12 other Asian and African genera of monarchines are called flycatchers, with various modifiers.

Learn more about monarch flycatcher with a free trial on Britannica.com