1. a Byzantine provincial governor
Usage: historical
2. a high-ranking Eastern Orthodox bishop
Usage: ecclesiastical

Examples

• The exarch ruled the Byzantine province with considerable autonomy.
• Emperor Justinian appointed a new exarch to govern Italy.
• The exarch of Ravenna controlled much of Byzantine Italy.
• The Orthodox exarch presided over the regional churches.
• An exarch holds authority over multiple dioceses.
• The Bulgarian exarch met with other church leaders.