monarch

monarch
/mon"euhrk, -ahrk/, n.
1. a hereditary sovereign, as a king, queen, or emperor.
2. a sole and absolute ruler of a state or nation.
3. a person or thing that holds a dominant position: a monarch of international shipping.
[1400-50; late ME < LL monarcha < Gk monárches sole ruler; see MON-, -ARCH]

* * *

bird
also called  Monarch Flycatcher,  

      any of about 60 bird species constituting the subfamily Monarchinae of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The term monarch is usually reserved for members of the Australian and Asian genera Monarcha and Hypothymis; the members of about 12 other Asian and African genera of monarchines are called flycatchers, with various modifiers.

      In all monarchines the bill is markedly broad-based and flat, and the feet are quite small. Males of some species are strikingly coloured. Found from Africa through Southeast Asia to northern China and Melanesia, monarchines live chiefly in warm forest, where they feed on insects, more often gleaned from foliage than taken in the air.

      Most monarchs are relatively short-tailed and range from 8 to 23 centimetres (3 to 9 inches) in length. A widespread example is the black-naped monarch (Hypothymis, or Monarcha, azurea) in which the male is bright purplish blue, with a slight crest. The species occurs from India to the Philippines.

      The most striking monarchines are the paradise flycatchers (Terpsiphone, or Tchitrea) found in tropical Africa and Asia, north through eastern China and Japan. About 10 species are recognized, but the taxonomy is extremely confused because of geographical and individual variation. Many have crests and eye wattles, and breeding males of some species have elongated tail feathers, which may be 40 cm (16 in.) long. The plumage colours are usually combinations of glossy black, white, and rufous brown.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Monarch — Mon arch, n. [F. monarque, L. monarcha, fr. Gr. ?, ?; mo nos alone + ? to be first, rule, govern. See {Archi }.] 1. A sole or supreme ruler; a sovereign; the highest ruler; an emperor, king, queen, prince, or chief. [1913 Webster] He who reigns… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Monarch — Sm erw. obs. (16. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus ml. monarcha, dieses aus gr. monárchēs, mónarchos, eigentlich Alleinherrscher , zu gr. árchein herrschen und gr. mónos allein, einzig . Abstraktum: Monarchie; Adjektiv: monarchistisch.    Ebenso… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

  • Monarch — Mon arch, a. Superior to others; pre[ e]minent; supreme; ruling. Monarch savage. Pope. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • monarch — butterfly mon arch but ter*fly, n. (Zo[ o]l.) A very large red and black butterfly ({Danais Plexippus}) having striking orange brown wings with black veins in a reticulated pattern; called also {milkweed butterfly} and {monarch}. Its larvae feed… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Monarch! — Monarch Allgemeine Informationen Genre(s) Drone Doom, Sludge Gründung 2002 Website …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • monarch — (n.) mid 15c., from M.Fr. monarque (14c.) or directly from L.L. monarcha, from Gk. monarkhes one who rules alone (see MONARCHY (Cf. monarchy)). As a type of large butterfly, from 1890 …   Etymology dictionary

  • Monarch — Monarch: Die Bezeichnung für »gekrönter ‹Allein›herrscher« (z. B. König oder Kaiser) wurde im 16. Jh. aus mlat. monarcha entlehnt, das aus griech. mónarchos »Alleinherrscher« stammt. Dies ist eine Bildung aus griech. mónos »allein, einzig« (vgl.… …   Das Herkunftswörterbuch

  • monarch — [n] ruler autocrat, crowned head, despot, emperor, empress, king, majesty, potentate, prince, princess, queen, sovereign; concepts 354,422 …   New thesaurus

  • monarch — ► NOUN 1) a sovereign head of state. 2) a large migratory orange and black butterfly. DERIVATIVES monarchic adjective monarchical adjective. ORIGIN from Greek monos alone + arkhein to rule …   English terms dictionary

  • monarch — [män′ərk, män′ärk΄] n. [LME monarcha < LL < Gr monarchēs < monos, alone + archein, to rule: see MONO & ARCH] 1. the single or sole ruler of a state 2. the hereditary (often constitutional) head of a state; king, queen, etc. 3. a person… …   English World dictionary

  • Monarch — For other uses, see Monarch (disambiguation). King redirects here. For other uses, see King (disambiguation). Part of the Politics series on …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”