Eirenarch
/ˈaɪrɪˌnɑːrk/noun
An ancient Greek and Byzantine official responsible for keeping public order.
Did you know?Its first element comes from Greek *eirēnē* (“peace”), the name of a goddess, while the second is *archos* (“ruler”), so the title is basically a political spell for enforcing calm.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Gk
eirēnē + archos
“peace + ruler/chief”
Late Antiquity
Gk
eirēnarchēs
“a peace-officer or official charged with keeping order”
Byzantine Greek
Gk
eirēnarchos
“a local public-order official”
Modern English
Eng
eirenarch
“a historical term for an ancient or Byzantine peace officer”