napoleon
[nuh-poh-lee-uh n, -pohl-yuh n]
- a pastry consisting of thin layers of puff paste interlaid with a cream or custard filling.
- a former gold coin of France, equal to 20 francs and bearing a portrait either of Napoleon I or of Napoleon III.
- Cards.
- a game in which the players bid for the privilege of naming the trump, stating the number of tricks they propose to win.
- a bid in this game to take all five tricks of a hand.
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Origin of napoleon
First recorded in 1805–15, napoleon is from the French word napoléon
Napoleon
[nuh-poh-lee-uh n, -pohl-yuh n]
- Louis [loo-ee; French lwee] /ˈlu i; French lwi/. Napoleon III.
- a male given name.
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Napoleon I
- Napoleon Bonapartethe Little Corporal, 1769–1821, French general born in Corsica: emperor of France 1804–15.
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Napoleon II
- François Charles Joseph BonaparteDuke of Reichstadt, 1811–32, titular king of Rome (son of Napoleon I).
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Napoleon III
- Louis NapoleonCharles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, [loo-ee; French lwee] /ˈlu i; French lwi/1808–73, president of France 1848–52, emperor of France 1852–70 (nephew of Napoleon I).
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for napoleon
Contemporary Examples
I have visited 53 battlefields that Napoleon fought on, and it has taken me a lot of time.
In his new book, Roberts seeks to persuade his readers that Napoleon was not an evil monster.
Where Napoleon went wrong was he simply took one bad decision to go north back through Smolensk, rather than going south.
In the Papal States Napoleon stopped the Jews having to wear the Papal star.
So you are saying that Napoleon was not a totalitarian-dictator as many historians are eager to suggest?
Historical Examples
It is like a life of Napoleon with all the battles left out.
MalboneThomas Wentworth Higginson
The campaigns of Napoleon, with their atmosphere of glory, illustrate this.
A Treatise on Parents and ChildrenGeorge Bernard Shaw
Old Napoleon couldn't thrash 'em, and it don't stand to reason that the Yanks could.
In the Midst of AlarmsRobert Barr
Napoleon flushed with anger, enraged both at the intrusion and the teasing.
The Boy Life of NapoleonEugenie Foa
"Well, it's a regular Napoleon hat," exclaimed the Colonel, much pleased.
The Little ColonelAnnie Fellows Johnston
napoleon
- a former French gold coin worth 20 francs bearing a portrait of either Napoleon I or Napoleon III
- cards the full name for nap 3 (def. 1)
- the US name for millefeuille
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Word Origin
C19: from French napoléon, after Napoleon I
Napoleon II
- Duke of Reichstadt. 1811–32, son of Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie Louise. He was known as the King of Rome during the first French empire and was entitled Napoleon II by Bonapartists after Napoleon I's death (1821)
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Napoleon I
- full name Napoleon Bonaparte. 1769–1821, Emperor of the French (1804–15). He came to power as the result of a coup in 1799 and established an extensive European empire. A brilliant general, he defeated every European coalition against him until, irreparably weakened by the Peninsular War and the Russian campaign (1812), his armies were defeated at Leipzig (1813). He went into exile but escaped and ruled as emperor during the Hundred Days. He was finally defeated at Waterloo (1815). As an administrator, his achievements were of lasting significance and include the Code Napoléon, which remains the basis of French law
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Napoleon III
- full name Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, known as Louis-Napoleon. 1808–73, Emperor of the French (1852–70); nephew of Napoleon I. He led two abortive Bonapartist risings (1836; 1840) and was elected president of the Second Republic (1848), establishing the Second Empire in 1852. Originally successful in foreign affairs, he was deposed after the disastrous Franco-Prussian War
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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 napoleon
Napoleon
used in reference to various qualities and things associated with 19c. French emperors of that name, especially Napoleon I (Bonaparte) (1769-1821): e.g. a gold coin issued by his government and worth 20 francs. As a 12-pound artillery piece, in use in U.S. military from 1857 (in this case, from Napoleon III (1808-1873), under whose rule it was designed). As a type of boot, by 1860; as a card game, by 1876; as a type of rich cake, from 1892; as a type of good brandy, from 1930. The name also was applied by 1821 to anyone thought to have achieved domination in any field by ambition and ruthlessness. Napoleon complex in reference to aggressiveness by short people is attested by 1930. Related: Napoleonic.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper