scepter

[ sep-ter ]
See synonyms for scepter on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a rod or wand borne in the hand as an emblem of regal or imperial power.

  2. royal or imperial power or authority; sovereignty.

verb (used with object)
  1. to give a scepter to; invest with authority.

Origin of scepter

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (s)ceptre, from Old French, from Latin scēptrum, from Greek skêptron “staff”; akin to shaft
  • Also especially British, scep·tre .

Other words from scepter

  • scep·ter·less, adjective
  • scep·tral [sep-truhl], /ˈsɛp trəl/, adjective
  • un·scep·tered, adjective

Words Nearby scepter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use scepter in a sentence

  • On the throne sat an old132 magician, with a crown on his ugly head and a scepter in his hand.

    Rudy and Babette | Hans Christian Andersen
  • Certainly he was not a man of sufficient ability worthily to hold the scepter of so great an empire.

    South American Fights and Fighters | Cyrus Townsend Brady
  • The god was represented as seated on his throne, with his brows crowned with a wreath of olive and in his hand a scepter.

  • In the right hand there is a scepter terminating in a sign which has been thought to represent fire.

  • The present-day detective king wields his scepter for precisely the same reason.