monarch Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a nation's ruler or head of state usually by hereditary right
crowned head; sovereign.
noun large migratory American butterfly having deep orange wings with black and white markings; the larvae feed on milkweed
milkweed butterfly; monarch butterfly; Danaus plexippus.

F. monarque, L. monarcha, fr. Gr. , alone + to be first, rule, govern. See Archi-.

A sole or supreme ruler; a sovereign; the highest ruler; an emperor, king, queen, prince, or chief.
He who reigns Monarch in heaven, ... upheld by old repute. Milton.
One superior to all others of the same kind; as, an oak is called the monarch of the forest.
A patron deity or presiding genius.
Come, thou, monarch of the vine, Plumpy Bacchus. Shak.
(Zoöl.) A very large red and black butterfly (Danais Plexippus); -- called also milkweed butterfly.