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imperator

[im-puh-rah-ter, -rah-tawr, -rey-ter]
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noun
  1. an absolute or supreme ruler.
  2. (in Imperial Rome) emperor.
  3. (in Republican Rome) a temporary title accorded a victorious general.
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Origin of imperator

1570–80; < Latin imperātor; see emperor
Related formsim·per·a·to·ri·al [im-per-uh-tawr-ee-uh l, -tohr-] /ɪmˌpɛr əˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, adjectiveim·per·a·to·ri·al·ly, adverbim·pe·ra·tor·ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for imperator

Historical Examples

  • The praefect himself, mayhap, would bid for her, or the imperator's agents!

    "Unto Caesar"

    Baroness Emmuska Orczy

  • As for this man—this imperator—why should I there wreak my vengeance upon him?

  • If tsar have this origin, it will be synonymous with imperator, emperor.

  • May my ears be cropped if the Imperator's melancholy and misanthropy are so intense!

  • The Imperator had appeared as Dionysus, especially to the Athenians.

British Dictionary definitions for imperator

imperator

noun
    1. (in imperial Rome) a title of the emperor
    2. (in republican Rome) a temporary title of honour bestowed upon a victorious general
  2. a less common word for emperor
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Derived Formsimperatorial (ɪmˌpɛrəˈtɔːrɪəl), adjectiveimperatorially, adverbimperatorship, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin: commander, from imperāre to command
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for imperator

n.

"commander-in-chief," Latin agent noun from stem of imperare "to command" (see imperative). In the Roman republic, a commander; in the Roman Empire, the emperor.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper