autarchies
|au-tar-chies|
🇺🇸
/ˈɔːtɑrˌkiz/
🇬🇧
/ˈɔːtɑːkiz/
(autarchy)
self-rule / self-sufficiency
Etymology
'autarchy' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'autarkeia' (αὐταρκεία), where 'auto-' meant 'self' and 'arkein' meant 'to be sufficient' or 'to rule'.
'autarchy' passed into Late Latin as 'autarchia', then through Medieval/Modern French 'autarchie' and Middle English into modern English as 'autarchy'.
Initially it meant 'self-sufficiency' (especially economic self-reliance), but over time it also came to mean 'absolute sovereign rule' or 'autocratic government'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
(political) Rule by an autarch; absolute sovereign power or autocratic government.
Many historians argue that a number of ancient states were effectively autarchies rather than consensual republics.
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Noun 2
(economic) Economic self-sufficiency of a state or region; the policy or condition of economic independence (synonymous with autarky).
Several small island nations pursued autarchies in the 20th century to reduce reliance on imports.
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Last updated: 2025/11/22 15:22