napoleon

[nuh-poh-lee-uh n, -pohl-yuh n]

noun

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.

Origin of napoleon

First recorded in 1805–15, napoleon is from the French word napoléon

Napoleon

[nuh-poh-lee-uh n, -pohl-yuh n]

noun

Louis

[loo-ee; French lwee] /ˈlu i; French lwi/. Napoleon III.

a male given name.

Napoleon I

noun

Napoleon Bonapartethe Little Corporal, 1769–1821, French general born in Corsica: emperor of France 1804–15.

Napoleon II

noun

François Charles Joseph BonaparteDuke of Reichstadt, 1811–32, titular king of Rome (son of Napoleon I).

Napoleon III

noun

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).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for napoleon

Contemporary Examples of napoleon

I have visited 53 battlefields that Napoleon fought on, and it has taken me a lot of time.
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator
J.P. O’Malley
November 7, 2014
In his new book, Roberts seeks to persuade his readers that Napoleon was not an evil monster.
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator
J.P. O’Malley
November 7, 2014
Where Napoleon went wrong was he simply took one bad decision to go north back through Smolensk, rather than going south.
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator
J.P. O’Malley
November 7, 2014
In the Papal States Napoleon stopped the Jews having to wear the Papal star.
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator
J.P. O’Malley
November 7, 2014
So you are saying that Napoleon was not a totalitarian-dictator as many historians are eager to suggest?
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator
J.P. O’Malley
November 7, 2014

Historical Examples of napoleon

It is like a life of Napoleon with all the battles left out.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
The campaigns of Napoleon, with their atmosphere of glory, illustrate this.
A Treatise on Parents and Children
George Bernard Shaw
Old Napoleon couldn't thrash 'em, and it don't stand to reason that the Yanks could.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
Napoleon flushed with anger, enraged both at the intrusion and the teasing.
The Boy Life of Napoleon
Eugenie Foa
"Well, it's a regular Napoleon hat," exclaimed the Colonel, much pleased.
The Little Colonel
Annie Fellows Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for napoleon

napoleon

noun

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

Word Origin for napoleon

C19: from French napoléon, after Napoleon I

Napoleon II

noun

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)

Napoleon I

noun

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

Napoleon III

noun

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

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.