Autonomy, anarchy, and democracy

Question

Hi,If looking at their etymology, I can roughly get the following ideas:democracy=people ruleautonomy=self managementeconomy=family managementanarchy =no rulehierarchy =high priest ruleI think "cracy", "nomy" and "archy" have the similar meanings.So why do some words end in cracy, others in nomy, and still others in archy?Thanks very much.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Words can come and evolve from different root words.
There is a difference between managing and ruling.

English has many root words - the majority being from Proto-Indo-European (PIE), Old German (Anglo-Saxon), Old French, Latin, Greek. and Breton.

Here is some etymology on the words you listed: (source: http://www.etymonline.com )
democracy
1570s, from M.Fr. démocratie (14c.), from M.L. democratia (13c.), from Gk. demokratia "popular government," from demos "common people," originally "district" (see demotic), + kratos "rule, strength" (see -cracy).

-cracy
comb. element forming nouns meaning "rule or government by," from Fr. -cratie or M.L. -cratia, from Gk. -kratia "power, might; rule, sway; power over; a power, authority," from kratos "strength," from PIE *kratus "power, strength" (see hard). The connective -o- has come to be viewed as part of it. Productive in English from c.1800.

autonomy
1620s, of states, from Gk. autonomia "independence," noun of quality from autonomos "independent, living by one's own laws," from auto- "self" (see auto-) + nomos "custom, law" (see numismatics). Of persons, from 1803.

economy (n.)
1530s, "household management," from L. oeconomia, from Gk. oikonomia "household management, thrift," from oikonomos "manager, steward," from oikos "house" (cognate with L. vicus "district," vicinus "near;" O.E. wic "dwelling, village;" see villa) + nomos "managing," from nemein "manage" (see numismatics). The sense of "wealth and resources of a country" (short for political economy) is from 1650s.

anarchy
1530s, from Fr. anarchie or directly from M.L. anarchia, from Gk. anarkhia "lack of a leader, the state of people without a government" (in Athens, used of the Year of Thirty Tyrants, 404 B.C., when there was no archon), noun of state from anarkhos "rulerless," from an- "without" (see an- (1)) + arkhos "leader" (see archon).

archon
one of the nine chief magistrates of ancient Athens, 1650s, from Gk. arkhon "ruler," noun use of prp. of arkhein "to rule," from PIE *arkhein- "to begin, rule, command," a "Gk. verb of unknown origin, but showing archaic Indo-European features ... with derivatives arkhe, 'rule, beginning,' and arkhos, 'ruler' " [Watkins].

hierarchy
mid-14c., from O.Fr. ierarchie, from M.L. hierarchia "ranked division of angels" (in the system of Dionysius the Areopagite), from Gk. hierarkhia "rule of a high priest," from hierarkhes "high priest, leader of sacred rites," from ta hiera "the sacred rites" (neuter plural of hieros "sacred;" see ire) + arkhein "to lead, rule" (see archon). Sense of "ranked organization of persons or things" first recorded 1610s, initially of clergy, sense probably influenced by higher.

Stephenlearner · Answer

Thank you for your help.
It is very informative.
Detailed.
Professional!

Thanks

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