# monarchy

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmɒnəki/ · frequency rank #11,747

## Definitions
1. A government in which sovereignty is embodied within a single, today usually hereditary head of state (whether as a figurehead or as a powerful ruler).
2. The territory ruled over by a monarch; a kingdom.
3. A form of government where sovereignty is embodied by a single ruler in a state and his high aristocracy representing their separate divided lands within the state and their low aristocracy representing their separate divided fiefs.
4. States based on a system of governance headed by a king or a queen.

## Etymology
From Old French monarchie, from Late Latin monarchia, from Ancient Greek μοναρχία (monarkhía), from μόνος (mónos, “only”) + ἀρχή (arkhḗ, “power, authority”). By surface analysis, mon- (“one, single”) + -archy (“rule, command”).

## Easily confused with
- **monarch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/monarch-vs-monarchy)

## Common misspellings (13)
`mmonarchy`, `mnoarchy`, `moanrchy`, `monacrhy`, `monarcchy`, `monarchhy`, `monarchyy`, `monarcyh`, `monarhcy`, `monarrchy`, `monnarchy`, `monrachy`, `omnarchy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/monarchy