# ἄρχω
## Ancient Greek
### Etymology

Of disputed origin:
* From Proto-Indo-European *h₂r̥-sḱe-ti (“to start, rule”), which appears to be an inchoative formation from *h₂er- (“to fit, put together”), thus “to begin to fit together” > “to start, rule”. Compare Old Armenian արքայ (arkʻay, “king”), which Matzinger considered inherited from Indo-European, but which is generally thought to be ultimately a borrowing from Greek.
* Alternatively from a root *h₂ergʰ- (“to begin, rule, command”), perhaps cognate with Lithuanian regė́ti (“to watch, see”). (Can this etymology be sourced?)

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ár.kʰɔː/ → /ˈar.xo/ → /ˈar.xo/
* (5th BCE Attic) IPA: /ár.kʰɔː/
* (1st CE Egyptian) IPA: /ˈar.kʰo/
* (4th CE Koine) IPA: /ˈar.xo/
* (10th CE Byzantine) IPA: /ˈar.xo/
* (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA: /ˈar.xo/

### Verb

ἄρχω • (árkhō)
* (transitive) to begin [with genitive ‘something, from something, with something’]
* (transitive) to lead, rule, govern, command [with genitive or dative ‘someone’]
* (intransitive) to be ruler; to hold an archonship

#### Derived terms

* Ἀγάθαρχος (Agátharkhos)
* Ἀλέξαρχος (Aléxarkhos)
* ἀπάρχομαι (apárkhomai)
* ἀπάρχω (apárkhō)
* Ἀρίσταρχος (Arístarkhos)
* Ἀρχάγαθος (Arkhágathos)
* Ἀρχέδημος (Arkhédēmos)
* Ᾰ̓ρχέδῐκος (Ărkhédĭkos)
* Ἀρχέλᾱος (Arkhélāos)
* Ᾰ̓ρχέστρᾰτος (Ărkhéstrătos)
* Ἀρχίᾱς (Arkhíās)
* Αρχιγένης (Arkhigénēs)
* Ἀρχίλοχος (Arkhílokhos)
* Ἀρχιμήδης (Arkhimḗdēs)
* διάρχω (diárkhō)
* Δικαίαρχος (Dikaíarkhos)
* ἐνάρχομαι (enárkhomai)
* ἐξάρχω (exárkhō)
* ἐπάρχω (epárkhō)
* Ἵππαρχος (Hípparkhos)
* κατάρχω (katárkhō)
* Κλέαρχος (Kléarkhos)
* Κλείταρχος (Kleítarkhos)
* Πλούταρχος (Ploútarkhos)
* προάρχω (proárkhō)
* προσάρχομαι (prosárkhomai)
* συνάρχω (sunárkhō)
* Τίμαρχος (Tímarkhos)
* ὑπάρχω (hupárkhō)
* χῐμᾰ́ρᾰρχος (khĭmắrărkhos)

#### Related terms

* ἄργματα (árgmata)
* ἀρκτέον (arktéon)
* ἀρκτικός (arktikós)
* ἀρχή (arkhḗ)
* ἀρχι- (arkhi-)
* ἀρχός (arkhós)
* ἄρχων (árkhōn)
* ὄρχαμος (órkhamos)

#### Descendants

* → Greek: άρχω (árcho) (learned)

### References

* ↑ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “ἄρχω”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 145-6

### Further reading

* “ἄρχω”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “ἄρχω”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
* “ἄρχω”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
* ἄρχω in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
* Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
* ἄρχω in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
* ἄρχω in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
* “ἄρχω”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
* G757 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible