monarch Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a nation's ruler or head of state usually by hereditary right
    crowned head; sovereign.
  2. noun large migratory American butterfly having deep orange wings with black and white markings; the larvae feed on milkweed
    milkweed butterfly; monarch butterfly; Danaus plexippus.

WordNet


Mon"arch noun
Etymology
F. monarque, L. monarcha, fr. Gr. , alone + to be first, rule, govern. See Archi-.
Definitions
  1. A sole or supreme ruler; a sovereign; the highest ruler; an emperor, king, queen, prince, or chief.
    He who reigns Monarch in heaven, ... upheld by old repute. Milton.
  2. One superior to all others of the same kind; as, an oak is called the monarch of the forest.
  3. A patron deity or presiding genius.
    Come, thou, monarch of the vine, Plumpy Bacchus. Shak.
  4. (Zoöl.) A very large red and black butterfly (Danais Plexippus); -- called also milkweed butterfly.
Mon"arch adjective
Definitions
  1. Superior to others; preëminent; supreme; ruling. "Monarch savage." Pope.

Webster 1913