monarch
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a person who rules a kingdom or empire, such as a king, queen, or emperor.
a hereditary sovereign, such as a king, queen, or emperor, who acts as the head of state in a monarchy.
Simple“The monarch addressed the nation from the palace balcony during the jubilee.”
In context“In a constitutional monarchy, the monarch typically serves as a symbolic figurehead while legislative power resides with an elected parliament.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
the most important or powerful thing in a particular group.
a person or thing that holds a preeminent position or is considered the best of its class.
Simple“The old oak tree stood like a monarch over the rest of the forest.”
In context“The mountain was the undisputed monarch of the range, its snow-capped peak towering thousands of feet above the surrounding summits.”
“King Haakon, who is Harald's younger child, is now the monarch and his wife Mette-Marit queen.”
“Norwegians grieved a monarch who remained popular despite scandals involving the royal family.”
From Middle French monarque, from Late Latin monarcha, from Ancient Greek μονάρχης (monárkhēs), variant of μόναρχος (mónarkhos, “sole ruler”), from μόνος (mónos, “only”) + ἀρχός (arkhós, “leader”), equivalent to mono- + -arch. * (butterfly): See monarch butterfly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.