autarky

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₂erk-“to guard, protect; to hold; to lock”
2. Ancient Greek · borrowed fromαὐτᾰ́ρκειᾰ“independence, self-sufficiency, autarky; satisfaction with one’s resources, contentment”
3. English todayautarky

Borrowed from Ancient Greek αὐτᾰ́ρκειᾰ (autắrkeiă, “independence, self-sufficiency, autarky; satisfaction with one’s resources, contentment”) + English -y (suffix forming abstract nouns denoting a condition, quality, or state). Αὐτᾰ́ρκειᾰ (Autắrkeiă) is derived from αὐτάρκης (autárkēs, “self-sufficient; content with what one has”) + -ειᾰ (-eiă, suffix forming feminine nouns); while αὐτάρκης (autárkēs) is from αὐτο- (auto-, prefix meaning ‘self’) + ᾰ̓ρκέω (ărkéō, “to be enough for, satisfy, suffice; (passive) to be satisfied with”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erk- (“to guard, protect; to hold; to lock”)) + -ης (-ēs, suffix forming third-declension adjectives).

First known use, by meaning

• from late 16th c. A personal condition or state of self-reliance; independence.