1
: a Byzantine viceroy
2
: an Eastern bishop ranking below a patriarch and above a metropolitan
specifically : the head of an independent church

exarch

2 of 2

adjective

: formed or taking place from the periphery toward the center
exarch xylem

Examples of exarch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
In that last phase, the city was the capital of a territory called the exarchate, whose commander, the exarch, was sent from Constantinople. — Anthony Kaldellis, WSJ, 11 Dec. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Late Latin exarchus, from Late Greek exarchos, from Greek, leader, from exarchein to begin, take the lead, from ex- + archein to rule, begin — more at arch-

Adjective

exo- + -arch

First Known Use

Noun

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1891, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exarch was in 1588

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Cite this Entry

“Exarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exarch. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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