(n) the ruler of a province (as in the Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire) or certain religious rulers with secular authority, Example:the election of Makarios III to archbishop gave him the status of the ethnarch of Cyprus
n. [ Gr. &unr_;; &unr_; nation + &unr_; leader, commander. See -arch. ] (Gr. Antiq.) The governor of a province or people. Lew Wallace. [ 1913 Webster ]