imperium

American  

[im-peer-ee-uhm] / ɪmˈpɪər i əm /

noun

plural

imperia, imperiums

1. command; supreme power.

2. area of dominion; sphere of control or monopoly; empire.

3. a nation having or exerting supreme power; superpower.

4. Law. the right to command the force of the state in order to enforce the law.

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imperium British  

/ ɪmˈpɪərɪəm /

noun

1. (in ancient Rome) the supreme power, held esp by consuls and emperors, to command and administer in military, judicial, and civil affairs

2. the right to command; supreme power

3. a less common word for empire

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Etymology

Origin of imperium

1645–55; < Latin: supreme administrative power, authority, empire, equivalent to imper ( āre ) to rule ( imperative ) + -ium -ium

Example Sentences

Here and elsewhere, scale is a messaging device, speaking of the Roman imperium’s insuperable need to seize and control large swaths of space.

From The Wall Street Journal

To challenge that French postcolonial imperium built by cunning, corruption and covert skullduggery, Moscow needed an operative who could match Jacques Foccart’s legendary mastery of the dirty business of empire, measure for measure.

From Salon

In Poland — a nation held captive in the totalitarian Soviet imperium for decades before leading the struggle to break those chains and rejoin Europe — ideas of heroism and sacrifice endured.

From New York Times

If nations are to save us from the imperium, one would expect them to operate differently from the nations of today.

From Washington Post

Poland, among other European states with experience of life in the Soviet imperium, expressed alarm.

From New York Times

Related Words

• authority
• clout
• influence
• jurisdiction
• law
• leadership
• management
• prestige
• privilege
• right
• rule
• sovereignty
• strength
• weight