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 called: emperor 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

Other Word Forms

• emperorship noun
• preemperor 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

In the early 1000s Maria Argyropoulina, a Byzantine emperor’s niece, brought gold forks to Venice for her wedding to the Doge’s son.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

No, despite what the astonishingly corrupt, would-be Roman emperor occupying the White House tells you, we are not the enemy: we are Americans.

Read more on Salon

Roman emperor’s secret passage to Colosseum opens to public for first time in 2000 years.

Read more on MarketWatch

Both models resembled the famed Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which was commissioned by the French emperor Napoleon in the early 19th century to commemorate fallen soldiers during his military campaigns.

Read more on Barron's

To watch videos of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in action failing bigly is like watching “Star Wars” Stormtroopers constantly misfiring or bonking their heads despite the full backing of the emperor himself.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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