architect

noun, verb — 4 senses

architect

noun

UK /ˈɑː.kɪˌtɛkt/ · US /ˈɑɹ.kɪˌtɛkt/

Etymology From Middle French architecte, from Latin architectus, from Ancient Greek ἀρχιτέκτων (arkhitéktōn, “master builder”), from ἀρχι- (arkhi-, “chief”) + τέκτων (téktōn, “builder”). By surface analysis, archi- + -tect.

1

A professional who designs buildings or other structures, or who prepares plans and superintends construction.

  • Plato made the causes of things to be matter, ideas, and an efficient architect.
  • This was the second time in the last few months that she was asked to install a urinal in a luxury residential project, and she said she knows many other designers and architects who have been specifying home urinals in their projects.2007 January 25, Suzanne Gannon, “For the High-End Bathroom, Something Unexpected”, in The New York Times:
2

A person who plans, devises or contrives the achievement of a desired result.

  • Peisistratus was the first architect of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
  • French winger Hatem Ben Arfa has also taken plenty of plaudits recently and he was the architect of the opening goal with some superb trickery on the left touchline.2012 April 21, Jonathan Jurejko, “Newcastle 3-0 Stoke”, in BBC Sport:
3

Philippines An honorific given to architects. Usually capitalized or abbreviated as Arch./Ar. before the person's name.

Synonyms
architector
Derived terms
business architect, coarchitect, ecoarchitect, every man is the architect of his own fortune, landscape architect, microarchitect, naval architect, nonarchitect, software architect, starchitect, subarchitect
Related terms
architecture

architect

verb

Etymology From Middle French architecte, from Latin architectus, from Ancient Greek ἀρχιτέκτων (arkhitéktōn, “master builder”), from ἀρχι- (arkhi-, “chief”) + τέκτων (téktōn, “builder”). By surface analysis, archi- + -tect.

1

To design, plan, or orchestrate.

  • He architected the military coup against the government.
  • Dacker was his own architect, (or, as he sometimes said, he architected his own fortunes,) and his own carpenter.1857, Mary Andrews Denison, Gracie Amber:
1 more example
  • It is interesting to record that the excavating and the laying of the pipes for the mains have been done by the Corporation employés under the supervision and control of Mr. Harpur, the borough engineer, who, by the way, architected the station.1894 December 14, The Electrical Review, volume 35, page 720:
Derived terms
rearchitect

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.