Etymology

anarchist

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Today it means: One who believes in or advocates the absence of hierarchy and authority in most forms (compare anarchism), especially one who works toward the realization of such. Full definition →

French anarchiste ← Ancient Greek ἀναρχία (anarkhía) ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂ergʰ-der.?
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
  3. Proto-Hellenic*ə-
  4. Ancient Greekἀ- (a-)
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂er-der.?
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ergʰ-der.?
  7. Ancient Greekἄρχω (árkhō)
  8. Ancient Greekἀρχή (arkhḗ)
  9. Ancient Greekἄναρχος (ánarkhos)
  10. Ancient Greekἀναρχία (anarkhía)
  11. Frenchanarchie
  12. Frenchanarchiste
  13. English todayanarchist

From French anarchiste, from Ancient Greek ἀναρχία (anarkhía) from the roots ἀν- (an-, “without”) + ἀρχή (arkhḗ, “rule”), equivalent to anarchy + -ist.

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekἀναρχία all →

anarchy

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.