Emily Dickinson Lexicon

ARCH-AN-GEL, n.

1. An angel of the highest order; an angel occupying the eighth rank in the celestial hierarchy. – Encyc.
2. The name of several plants, as the dead-nettle, or Lamium; a species of Melittis; and the Galeopsis or hedge-nettle.

ARCH-AN-GEL'IC, a.

Belonging to archangels.

ARCH-A-POS'TATE, n.

A chief apostate.

ARCH-A-POS'TLE, n.

The chief apostle. – Trapp.

ARCH-ARCH-I-TECT, n.

The supreme architect. – Sylvester.

ARCH-BEA-CON, n.

The chief beacon, place of prospect, or signal.

ARCH-BISH-OP, n.

A chief bishop; a church dignitary of the first class; a metropolitan bishop, who superintends the conduct of the suffragan bishops, in his province, and also exercises episcopal authority in his own diocese. – Clarendon.

ARCH-BISH'OP-RIC, n. [Archbishop and ric or rick, territory or jurisdiction.]

The jurisdiction or place of an archbishop; the province over which an archbishop exercises authority. Clarendon.

ARCH-BOTCH'ER, n.

The chief botcher, or mender, ironically. – Corbet.

ARCH-BUILD'ER, or ACH-BILD'ER, n.

Chief builder. – Harmar.

ARCH-BUT'LER, n.

A chief butler; an officer of the German empire, who presents the cup to the emperor, on solemn occasions. This office belongs to the king of Bohemia. – Encyc.

ARCH-CHAM'BER-LAIN, n.

A chief chamberlain; an officer of the German empire, whose office is similar to that of the great chamberlain in England. This office belongs to the elector of Brandenburg. – Encyc.

ARCH-CHAN'CEL-LOR, n.

A chief chancellor; an officer in the German empire, who presides over the secretaries of the court. Under the first races of French kings, when Germany and Italy belonged to them, three archchancellors were appointed; and this institution gave rise to the three archchancellors now subsisting in Germany, who are the, archbishops of Mentz, of Cologne, and of Treves. – Encyc.

ARCH-CHANT'ER, n.

The chief chanter, or president of the chanters of a church. – Henry.

ARCH-CHIM'IC, a.

Of supreme chimical powers. – Milton.

ARCH-CON-SPIR'A-TOR, n.

Principal conspirator. – Maundrell.

ARCH-COUNT', n.

A chief count; a title formerly given to the earl of Flanders, on account of his great riches and power. – Encyc.

ARCH-CRIT'IC, n.

A chief critic.

ARCH-DAP'I-FER, a. [Arch, chief, and L. dapifer, a food-bearer, from daps, meat, or a feast, and fero, to carry.]

An officer in the German empire, whose office is, at the coronation of the emperor, to carry the first dish of meat to table on horseback. – Encyc.

ARCH-DEA'CON, n. [See Deacon.]

In England, an ecclesiastical dignitary, next in rank below a bishop, who has jurisdiction either over a part or over the whole diocese. He is usually appointed by the bishop, and has an authority originally derived from the bishop, but now independent of him. He has a court, the most inferior of ecclesiastical courts, for hearing ecclesiastical causes, and the punishment of offenders by spiritual censures. – Blackstone.

ARCH-DEA'CON-RY, n.

The office, jurisdiction, or residence of an archdeacon. In England, every diocese is divided into archdeaconries, of which there are sixty, and each archdeaconry into rural deaneries, and each deanery into parishes. – Blackstone.

ARCH-DEA'CON-SHIP, n.

The office of an archdeacon.

ARCH-DI'O-CESE, n.

The diocese of an archbishop.

ARCH-DI-VINE', n.

A principal theologian.

ARCH-DRU'ID, n. [See Druid.]

A chief druid, or pontiff of the ancient druids. – Henry, Hist. of Eng. Rowland's Mona Antiqua.