Archenemy

An archenemy (or arch-enemy) is the main enemy of someone.[1][2][3] In fiction, it is a character who is the hero's or protagonist's most prominent and worst enemy.

For other uses, see Archenemy (disambiguation).

Etymology

The word archenemy or arch-enemy originated around the mid-16th century, from the words arch-[3] (from Greek ἄρχω archo meaning 'to lead') and enemy.[1]

An archenemy may also be referred to as an archrival,[4] archfoe,[5] archvillain,[6] or archnemesis.[7] However, an archenemy may also be distinguished from a nemesis, with the latter being an enemy whom the hero cannot defeat (or who defeats the hero), even while not being a longstanding or consistent enemy to the hero.[8]

gollark: I wonder if autorefreshing the new releases would make them hatch faster.
gollark: I'm not sure whether I should stick the "current" ones in with my xenowyrm group or not.
gollark: I got rid of a CB rift wyrm to get the current one, but it's probably worth it.
gollark: I seem to have just managed to grab one of the current ones. Who knows what'll happen to it.
gollark: Interesting.

See also

References
  1. "archenemy definition". Dictionary.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2008.
  2. "archenemy – Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 26 June 2008.
  3. Wicaksono, Rachel. "BBC World Service | Learning English | Ask about English". BBC. Retrieved 26 June 2008.
  4. "Definition of ARCHRIVAL". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  5. "Definition of ARCHFOE". www.merriam-webster.com.
  6. "Definition of ARCHVILLAIN". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  7. "Definition of ARCHNEMESIS". www.merriam-webster.com.
  8. Sage Michael, How to Become a Superhero: the Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate You! (2011), p. 228.


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