lexiarch means in ancient Athens: someone whose role it was to ensure that only citizens entered the ecclesia ("the public legislative assembly of the Athenians"). It carries an Arena rating of 1347, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, lexiarch ranks #184 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #3,616 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #3,992 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #4,166 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
Why “lexiarch” is a great word
A civic officer in ancient Athens tasked with verifying the citizenship of each man seeking to enter the legislative assembly, the Ecclesia. The title is borrowed from Ancient Greek ληξίαρχος (lēxíarkhos), from λῆξις (lêxis, 'a speaking, word, phrase') + -αρχος (-arkhos, 'ruler, leader'), making him literally the ruler of the word—or of who may speak it. Unlike the *agoranomos*, who policed the marketplace's commerce and quarrels, or the *prytanis*, who steered the council's daily agenda, the lexiarch was the gatekeeper of the democratic voice itself. He was the check against the non-citizen's murmur, the scrutinizer of tokens in the morning light, the human barrier between the chaos of the city and the ordered circle of political speech—a reminder that every right to shape the city's fate with words began with the right to cross his threshold.
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ληξίαρχος (lēxíarkhos).
noun
- In ancient Athens: someone whose role it was to ensure that only citizens entered the ecclesia ("the public legislative assembly of the Athenians").
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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