Darchevêque

Darchevêque is a Breton-language term that denotes a genitive relationship meaning “of the archbishop.” The standard orthography uses the elided form d’archevêque, formed by the Breton preposition d’ (“of”) combined with archevêque (“archbishop”). In some older or non-standard texts, the form may appear as darchevêque without the apostrophe, reflecting transcription conventions rather than a distinct word.

Etymology and form: The expression derives from d’ + archevêque. Archevêque itself comes from the Latin archiepiscopus and entered Breton through historical contact with French and Latin Christian vocabulary. The d’ prefix is a common Breton mechanism for marking possession or association.

Usage and scope: Darchevêque functions as a prepositional/genitive construction rather than as a separate title. It is used to indicate possession, attribution, or association with an archbishop in Breton-language texts. The form is especially found in ecclesiastical, historical, or glossarial contexts, and may appear in dictionaries or grammars that explain Breton possessive constructions. In contemporary Breton prose or conversation, possessive relationships may be expressed through other structures, but d’archevêque remains a recognized, if specialized, construction in formal or liturgical discourse.

See also: Archevêque; Breton language; Genitive constructions; D’ prefix.