emperor

[ em-per-er ]

noun

1. the male sovereign or supreme ruler of an empire:

   the emperors of Rome.

2. Chiefly British. a size of drawing or writing paper, 48 × 72 inches (122 × 183 centimeters).

emperor

/ ˈɛmpərə /

noun

1. a monarch who rules or reigns over an empire
2. Also calledemperor moth any of several large saturniid moths with eyelike markings on each wing, esp Saturnia pavonia of Europe See also giant peacock moth
3. See purple emperor

Derived Forms

• ˈemperorˌship, noun

Other Words From

• emper·or·ship noun
• pre·emper·or noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of emperor¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English empero(u)r, (from Anglo-French; Old French empereor, from Latin imperātor, originally, “one who gives orders, ruler,” equivalent to imperā(re) “to order, command” ( im- “in” + -perāre, combining form of parāre “to provide, get ready” ) + -tor noun suffix of agency; im- ¹, prepare, -tor

Word History and Origins

Origin of emperor¹

C13: from Old French empereor, from Latin imperātor commander-in-chief, from imperāre to command, from im- + parāre to make ready

Example Sentences

The collection also includes a chicken cup used to serve wine for the Chenghua emperor and Ru wares made for the Northern Song dynasty court around 1086.

From BBC

Items in the collection include vases from 1351 which revolutionised the dating for blue and white ceramics with their discovery, as well as a cup decorated with a chicken that was used to serve wine for the Chenghua emperor in the 1400s.

From BBC

Jon Jon Briones takes on the role of the Reciter as well as the Shogun and Emperor, moving gracefully from narration to enactment.

From Los Angeles Times

Empire's four-star review praised other members of the cast as well - Pedro Pascal is "as charismatic as ever" and Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger as Roman Emperor twins "rival Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus from the original Gladiator in terms of crazed volatility and also have a distinct whiff of the ultimate mad emperor Caligula".

From BBC

“There’s a little more representation, a little more exposure. Meaningful parts for Asians in Hollywood were basically nonexistent when I first moved here. Even after ‘The Last Emperor’ won nine Oscars, I didn’t get many calls for work.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• czar
• dictator
• empress
• king
• monarch
• sultan