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Looking in Dictionary.com, Primarch does't exist, so presumably GW made it up. Exarch and Autarch do exist in Dictionary.com (a patriarch's deputy and an absolute ruler/tyrant respectively).

Dictionary.com says Exarch is pronounced [ek-sahrk], and autarch is [aw-tahrk].

I've always pronounced them as 'arch' rather than 'ahrk'. If we follow the 'proper' pronunciation (and the same is true for patriarch as well - [pey-tree-ahrk]), Primarch should be pronounced [pri-mahrk].

So the point I'm laboriously getting to is the comparison of the Emperor's sons to the cheap high street clothes shop, Primark. It seems an unfortunate comparison!

(Not sure if Primark have spread their wings beyond the UK, so for all our Dakka buddies outside of the UK, Primark is a fairly/very cheap and increasingly ubiquitous high street clothes shop in the UK, with a mixed reputation between awesomely inexpensive , and cheap and ).

Interested to know how other people pronounce Primarch.

I always pronounced it [pri-mahrk] like exarch and autarch, and, yes, Primark ^^
But here in France, Primark is pronounced in English, and primarch in French, so you can't be confused.

'ahrk'

Prime-Ark


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Every time I see that shop, I always imagine Fulgrim running the company.

Whittlesey40k wrote:
Looking in Dictionary.com, Primarch does't exist, so presumably GW made it up. Exarch and Autarch do exist in Dictionary.com (a patriarch's deputy and an absolute ruler/tyrant respectively).

It's just a number-word/prefex.

Tetrachs was the rule of four Emperors during the Roman "tetrarchy"; a historical phase of co-rulership. With Tetra- being the ancient greek prefix denoting the number four. I believe they made it into the Necron book too.

Substituting the greek tetra (or four) for the latin prim (or one), you get a sole ruler (of a legion, presumably). Sticking with the Greek, they would've been Henarchs though. And accounting for their original number of 20, they probably should've been Vigesimarchs (in latin, with English plural), or down to 18, Octodecarchs (in latin, with English plural).

Of course, Alpharius & Omegon wouldn't even be Primarchs of their own legion. They'd be Biarchs, Diarchs, or Duoarchs, or something.

Pry-Mark.

Just like the clothing line, apparently.

Arch is a standard suffix which comes from Greek, it means a ruler of some type, e.g. oligarch, monarch, etc. In all cases it is pronounced, for want of a simpler way to put it - ARK.

Primarch = Primark - same sound

I like to think it means "First Ruler {Of a legion of Marines}"

Just like the cheapo chav shop And yes I have shopped there.

Prime-Ark.... Where Noah got the Penguins to walk to the middle east to hop on board the worlds 1st cruise liner.

Allegedly...

 Grumzimus wrote:
Just like the cheapo chav shop And yes I have shopped there.

Prime-Ark.... Where Noah got the Penguins to walk to the middle east to hop on board the worlds 1st cruise liner.

Allegedly...

Ah yes, I distinctly remember there being some pacified Genestealers in there, ready to populate Andromeda.

Same way as Monarch, "Ark"

Primark, like the shop, from me too.

 Jimsolo wrote:
Pry-Mark.

Just like the clothing line, apparently.

^ This here for me, too. Pry-Mark.

Fortunately, I seem to be ignorant of the clothing store. No, thank you, I do not seek to resolve that.

I think it's supposed to be something like pry-mark

Pry-mark

The same way as Primary.

Prye - mary
Prye - mark

Don't know anyone that says Preh - Mark (or Preh - Mary). Or uh.... Prye - March!

(gee, how to get an i with a straight line over it for forums!)

 Selym wrote:
I like to think it means "First Ruler {Of a legion of Marines}"

I think that's what they were aiming for but it's a horrible Latin-Greek fusion of the words primus (Latin first) and Archos (Greek ruler). Better Greek would be something like archearch (original ruler) or protarch (similar meaning).

Same as you pronounce anything else with the -arch suffix, Pry-mark, Ot-ark, X-ark, etc.

 Jimsolo wrote:
Pry-Mark.

Just like the clothing line, apparently.

This, of course.

Reading the shop: I went there once, it was awful.

Prime-arc

Primark (the shop) has more than its fair share of Grimdark.