WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
arche-,
Arch. E.,
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a combining form meaning "prior, original, first'' (archegonium;
archetype);
in scientific coinages, a synonym of archi- (archesporium).
- Greek, by-form of archi- archi-
Arch. E.,
- Architectural Engineer.
archi-,
- a combining form with the general sense "first, principal,'' that is prefixed to nouns denoting things that are earliest, most basic, or bottommost (archiblast;
archiphoneme;
architrave);
or denoting individuals who direct or have authority over others of their class, usually named by the base noun (archimandrite;
architect). - Greek, combining form akin to arché̄ beginning, árchos leader, árchein to be the first, command
'arche-' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
arch
- acritarch
- archaebacteria
- archegonium
- archespore
- archetype
- archi-
- exarch
- menarche