![]() ![]() In its earliest English sense, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, “hierarchy” meant “each of the three divisions of angels, every one comprising three orders, in the system of Dionysius the Areopagite.” ![]() When first recorded in English around 1380, “hierarchy,” which grew out of writings in Christian mysticism, had to do with the divisions among celestial beings. In church matters, “hierarchy” has a different meaning from the one that’s developed in modern, secular usage. So etymologically, there’s no “higher” in “hierarchy.” It comes ultimately from the Greek words hieros (sacred) and archein (to rule). The word you’re trying to remember may be “hierarchy,” whose original, literal meaning was “sacred rule.” (In Greek, mono means single and oligoi means few.) This word ending comes from the Greek verb polein, which means to sell. For example, a “monopoly” is a market dominated by one seller an “oligopoly” is one dominated by a few. ![]() Words that end in “-poly” have to do with more earthly business-selling. We know of no word-unless it’s a deliberate joke-that combines “church” with “monopoly.” Do you know the word?Ī: We’d guess that your memory is playing tricks here. Q: Years ago I had to look up a word that combined “church” and “monopoly.” I can’t remember it. ![]()
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