arx
From Proto-Indo-European *h₂erk- (“to protect, guard, hold, lock”). Cognates include Latin arca (“chest, box”), arceō (“I defend”), arcānus (“hidden, secret”), arcera (“covered carriage for sick people”), Old Armenian արգել (argel, “obstacle”) and Ancient Greek ἀρκέω (arkéō).
Pronunciation
Noun
arx f (genitive arcis); third declension
- stronghold, castle, citadel, fortress, acropolis [ quotations ▼]
- (figuratively) defence, protection, refuge, bulwark
- tyranny (with arx as the abode of tyrants)
- (metonymically) height, summit, pinnacle, top, peak (since castles were often built on heights) [ quotations ▼]
Declension
Third-declension noun (i-stem).
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | arx | arcēs |
| Genitive | arcis | arcium |
| Dative | arcī | arcibus |
| Accusative | arcem | arcēs arcīs |
| Ablative | arce | arcibus |
| Vocative | arx | arcēs |