Hierarchical

How to spell hierarchical

12 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce hierarchical

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does hierarchical mean?

1. adjectiveArranged in or relating to a system of ranked levels of authority or importance.

Hierarchical in a sentence

• The company has a strict hierarchical structure, with every decision flowing down from the board.

• The military uses a clear hierarchical chain of command to pass orders down through the ranks.

Where does hierarchical come from?

Language of origin: Greek

The word traces back to the Greek hierarkhia, which combined hieros, meaning 'sacred', with arkhein, meaning 'to rule', so it originally described the rule or authority of a high priest. Medieval writers borrowed it through Latin and Old French as 'hierarchy' to describe the ranked orders of angels and the layered structure of the church. The adjective form 'hierarchical' grew up alongside it, and by the 1600s it had broadened from religious ranks to any system arranged in graded tiers of authority. The tricky stretch of letters in the middle, the silent first syllable that sounds like 'higher', comes straight from that 'hier' root meaning sacred, while the 'arch' you can hear is the same 'ruler' element found in monarch and anarchy. Keeping the 'hier' (not 'hi-er' or 'higher') and the 'arch' in mind is the surest way to remember the spelling.

How the word is built

• hier- (from Greek hieros: sacred, or hieron: priestly)
• arch (from arkhein: to rule)
• -ic
• -al (adjective suffixes)