imperial

¹

[im-peer-ee-uhl]

adjective

1. of, like, or pertaining to an empire.

2. of, like, or pertaining to an emperor or empress.

3. characterizing the rule or authority of a sovereign state over its dependencies.

4. of the nature or rank of an emperor or supreme ruler.

5. of a commanding quality, manner, aspect, etc.

6. domineering; imperious.

   Synonyms: autocratic, high-handed, despotic

7. befitting an emperor or empress; regal; majestic; grand.

8. of special or superior size or quality, as various products and commodities.

9. (of weights and measures) conforming to the standards legally established in Great Britain.

noun

1. a size of printing or drawing paper, 22 × 30 inches (56 × 76 centimeters) in England, 23 × 33 inches (58 × 84 centimeters) in the United States.

2. imperial octavo, a size of book, about 8¼ × 11½ inches (21 × 29 centimeters), untrimmed, in the United States, and 7½ × 11 inches (19 × 28 centimeters), untrimmed, in England. imperial 8vo

3. Chiefly British.,  imperial quarto, a size of book, about 11 × 15 inches (28 × 38 centimeters), untrimmed. imperial 4to

4. the top of a carriage, especially of a diligence.

5. a case for luggage carried there.

6. a member of an imperial party or of imperial troops.

7. an emperor or empress.

8. any of various articles of special size or quality.

9. an oversized bottle used especially for storing Bordeaux wine, equivalent to 8 regular bottles or 6 liters (6.6 quarts).

imperial

²

[im-peer-ee-uhl]

noun

1. a small, pointed beard beneath the lower lip.

imperial

³

[im-peer-ee-uhl]

noun

1. a Russian gold coin originally worth 10 rubles and from 1897 to 1917 worth 15 rubles.

imperial

¹

/ ɪmˈpɪərɪəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to an empire, emperor, or empress

2. characteristic of or befitting an emperor; majestic; commanding

3. characteristic of or exercising supreme authority; imperious

4. (esp of products and commodities) of a superior size or quality

5. (usually prenominal) (of weights, measures, etc) conforming to standards or definitions legally established in Britain

   an imperial gallon

noun

1. any of various book sizes, esp 7 1/ 2 by 11 inches ( imperial octavo ) or (chiefly Brit) 11 by 15 inches ( imperial quarto )

2. a size of writing or printing paper, 23 by 31 inches (US and Canadian) or 22 by 30 inches (Brit)

3. (formerly) a Russian gold coin originally worth ten roubles

4. 1. the top of a carriage, such as a diligence

   2. a luggage case carried there

5. architect a dome that has a point at the top

6. a small tufted beard popularized by the emperor Napoleon III

7. a member of an imperial family, esp an emperor or empress

8. a red deer having antlers with fourteen points

Imperial

²

/ ɪmˈpɪərɪəl /

adjective

1. (sometimes not capital) of or relating to a specified empire, such as the British Empire

noun

1. a supporter or soldier of the Holy Roman Empire

Other Word Forms

• imperially adverb
• imperialness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of imperial¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Late Latin imperiālis, equivalent to Latin imperi(um) “supreme authority, rule, empire” + -ālis adjective suffix; replacing Middle English emperial, from Middle French, from Late Latin, as above; imperium, -al ¹

Origin of imperial²

First recorded in 1835–45; from French impériale, noun use of feminine of impérial; imperial ¹

Origin of imperial³

First recorded in 1760–70; from Russian imperiál, ultimately from Medieval Latin imperiālis a coin, noun use of Late Latin imperiālis; imperial ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of imperial¹

C14: from Late Latin imperiālis, from Latin imperium command, authority, empire

Example Sentences

The piece depicts the daughter of Klimt's main patron dressed in a white imperial Chinese dress, standing before a blue tapestry with Asian-inspired motifs.

Read more on Barron's

“The tsar’s imperial nose can smell your smelly toe shoes from Saint Petersburg!”

Read more on Literature

Relations between China and Japan are frequently frosty, in part a legacy of Japan’s brutal imperial past for which many in Beijing feel Tokyo hasn’t sufficiently apologized.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

British administrators began counting castes in 1871 as a "deliberate response to the post-1857 unity of Indians across caste and religion", turning it into an "effective tool of imperial control".

Read more on BBC

That principle has been eroding for generations as the imperial presidency has encroached on Congress.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• royal 
• stately