Dictionary

emperor en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈɛmpʰ(ə)ɹə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• [ˈɛmpʰ(ə)ɹɚ] (Canadian, General-American, Standard)
• [ˈe̝mpɹɘ] (New-Zealand)
• /ˈemp(ə)ɹə/ (Australia)
• /ˈɪ̟mp(ə)ɹɚ/ Southern US, African-American Vernacular, pin–pen merger
• /ˈɛmp(ə)ɹɚ/ (Canadian, General-American, Standard)
• [ˈempʰ(ə)ɹə] (Australia)
• [ˈɪ̟mpʰ(ə)ɹɚ] Southern US, African-American Vernacular, pin–pen merger
• /ˈe̝mp(ɘ)ɹɘ/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˈɛmp(ə)ɹə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English emperour, from Anglo-Norman emperour, from Latin imperātorem, derived from imperō (“to command”). Doublet of imperator. Displaced earlier Old English casere, from Latin Caesar.

Meanings

1. The male monarch or ruler of an empire.
   • In imperial China, it was often a responsibility of the emperor to evaluate his predecessor after the latter's death.
   • They asked Julius Caesar, the valiant Roman emperor, what was the best death. He answered, that which is unexpected, which comes suddenly and unforeseen 1885, John Ormsby, transl., Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes, Volume 2 Chapter XXIV:
2. Any monarch ruling an empire, irrespective of gender, with "empress" contrasting to mean the consort of an emperor.
   • Where is Sindbad? I have a summons for him direct from the galactic emperor herself. He is to be brought here immediately to give an explanation for his recent actions. 2016, Commander Pakydus, Sindbad & the 7 Galaxies:
   • After his death in 683 she ruled for seven years as regent and then, deposing her son, became emperor herself, the only woman in Chinese history to hold the title. 2002, The Heritage of World Civilizations: To 1700, page 226:
   • Empress, imperial regent, and even emperor herself (r. 797–802), Irene was an important and powerful figure at the Byzantine court in the late eighth and early ninth century. 2008, Encyclopedia of Barbarian Europe: Society in Transformation, page 211:
   • In 690 Wu usurped the throne and became Emperor herself, which proved a unique event in the history of China. 1994, Het Spinhuis, Transactions: Essays in Honor of Jeremy F. Boissevain:
   • Originally the wife of the emperor, she engineered the imperial succession so that she could serve first as regent to a boy emperor and then as emperor herself. 2013, Voyages in World History, page 213:
3. (qualifier:political theory) Specifically, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire; the world-monarch.
   • The Investiture Controversy was a conflict between the Emperor and the Pope.
4. The fourth trump or major arcana card of the tarot deck.
5. A large, relatively valuable marble in children's games.
   • But marbles are not only used to play games: they are also traded. In this market, the value of the different kinds of marbles (oilies, emperors, etc.) is determined by local supply and demand and not by the price of the marbles […] 2001, Paul Webley, The economic psychology of everyday life, page 39:
6. Any fish of the family Lethrinidae.
7. Any of various butterflies of the subfamily Charaxinae.
8. Any of various large dragonflies of the cosmopolitan genus Anax.
9. An emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri).
   • If they were emperors, I wanted a better view. Being told they were emperors was no good; I needed to see them. But as quickly as we had spotted them, they spotted us. Sliding on their bellies, two emperors began to rush over. 2019, Lindsay McCrae, My Penguin Year: Living with the Emperors:
   • We do not know if the emperors are monogamous. I know some of the penguins species mate for life. 2008, Gloria Clifford, Emperor Penguins: The Lords of Antarctica:
   • During pairing, mates walk an average of only 90 m per day, and, while incubating, male emperors move an average of 30 m per day. 2012, Lloyd S. Davis, John T. Darby, Penguin Biology, page 273:

Forms

Deriveds

Trumperor · emperorism · emperor scorpion · emperor penguin · coemperor · emperor paper · sea emperor · little emperor · emperor shrimp · emperorlike · emperor fairywren · emperor moth · pale-spotted emperor · emperor tamarin · emperor goose · God Emperor · emperor rat · emperor cichlid (Aulonocara nyassae · purple emperor · antiemperor · Australian emperor · emperorship · Chimperor · little emperor syndrome · emperorist · emperor butterfly

Hyponyms

barracks emperor · mikado · basileus · tenno

Relateds

empire · imperially · empress · imperial · imperialism

Translations (208)

cmn 天皇 (ruler of an empire) · fa-ira پادِشاه (ruler of an empire) · fi keisari (ruler of an empire) · ur سَمْراٹ (ruler of an empire) · hi महाराजा (ruler of an empire) · tg қайсар (ruler of an empire) · hi चक्रवर्ती (ruler of an empire) · ms kaisar (ruler of an empire) · fa-ira پادْشاه (ruler of an empire) · gd ìmpire (ruler of an empire) · nb keiser (ruler of an empire) · onw ⲕⲁⲓⲥⲁⲣⲁ (ruler of an empire) · la imperātor (ruler of an empire) · ga impire (ruler of an empire) · ext emperaol (ruler of an empire) · mnc ᡥᡡᠸᠠᠩᡩᡳ (ruler of an empire) · hy կայսր (ruler of an empire) · vec inperador (ruler of an empire) · lt imperatorius (ruler of an empire) · id maharaja (ruler of an empire) · ar قَيْصَر (ruler of an empire) · ja 帝王 (ruler of an empire) · uz qaysar (ruler of an empire) · zlw-ocs ciesař (ruler of an empire) · ko 황제 (ruler of an empire) · sh impèrātor (ruler of an empire) · mnc ᡥᠠᠨ (ruler of an empire) · sh ца̏р (ruler of an empire) · da kejser (ruler of an empire) · ko 제왕 (ruler of an empire) · la basileus (ruler of an empire) · ko 천황 (ruler of an empire) · eu enperadorea (ruler of an empire) · rsk император (ruler of an empire) · ia imperator (ruler of an empire) · ps امپراتور (ruler of an empire) · acw إِمْبْراطور (ruler of an empire) · mn ᠬᠤᠸᠠᠩᠳᠢ (ruler of an empire) · ur شَہَنْشاہ (ruler of an empire) · et imperaator (ruler of an empire) · stq Kaiser (ruler of an empire) · ur قَیصَر (ruler of an empire) · gv ard-ree (ruler of an empire) · cu ⱌⱑⱄⰰⱃⱐ (ruler of an empire) · fa-ira اِمْپِراطور (ruler of an empire) · my ဧကရာဇ် (ruler of an empire) · pl carz (ruler of an empire) · enm kayser (ruler of an empire) · lo ນໍຣິນ (ruler of an empire) · cop ⲁⲩⲧⲟⲕⲣⲁⲧⲱⲣ (ruler of an empire) · ps کيسر (ruler of an empire) · vi thiên hoàng (ruler of an empire) · sa अधिराज (ruler of an empire) · pro emperador (ruler of an empire) · lb Keeser (ruler of an empire) · cmn 帝王 (ruler of an empire) · es emperador (ruler of an empire) · dz རྒྱལ་ཆེན (ruler of an empire) · de Imperator (ruler of an empire) · sw kaisari (ruler of an empire) · fur imperadôr (ruler of an empire) · az imperator (ruler of an empire) · kk император (ruler of an empire) · hi अधिराज (ruler of an empire) · ms khakan (ruler of an empire) · mt imperatur (ruler of an empire) · kmr padşeh (ruler of an empire) · lij imperatô (ruler of an empire) · it imperatore (ruler of an empire) · orv цѣсарь (ruler of an empire) · rm caiser (ruler of an empire) · ca emperador (ruler of an empire) · sl cêsar (ruler of an empire) · mn эзэн хаан (ruler of an empire) · frr keiser (ruler of an empire) · xcl կեսար (ruler of an empire) · mk цар (ruler of an empire) · ja 皇帝 (ruler of an empire) · la autocratōr (ruler of an empire) · mn ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ (ruler of an empire) · km រាជាធិរាជ (ruler of an empire) · nrf empéreu (ruler of an empire) · lo ຈັກກະວັດ (ruler of an empire) · oc emperador (ruler of an empire) · hsb kejžor (ruler of an empire) · qu qhapaq (ruler of an empire) · th ฮ่องเต้ (ruler of an empire) · dsb kejžor (ruler of an empire) · ky император (ruler of an empire) · mn хаан (ruler of an empire) · gl emperador (ruler of an empire) · az padşah (ruler of an empire) · onw ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲉⲱⲥ (ruler of an empire) · sl imperátor (ruler of an empire) · ro împărat (ruler of an empire) · grc καῖσαρ (ruler of an empire) · nl keizer (ruler of an empire) · vec inperadore (ruler of an empire) · cs císař (ruler of an empire) · pt imperador (ruler of an empire) · uk імпера́тор (ruler of an empire) · te చక్రవర్తి (ruler of an empire) · th จักรพรรดิ (ruler of an empire) · rm imperatur (ruler of an empire) · uk цар (ruler of an empire) · be імпера́тар (ruler of an empire) · pl cesarz (ruler of an empire) · mn хуанди (ruler of an empire) · pl car (ruler of an empire) · szl cysŏrz (ruler of an empire) · cy ymerawdwr (ruler of an empire) · sh це̏са̄р (ruler of an empire) · enm emperour (ruler of an empire) · grc αὐτάναξ (ruler of an empire) · nn keisar (ruler of an empire) · ang cāsere (ruler of an empire) · dng хуоншон (ruler of an empire) · sq perandor (ruler of an empire) · tr imparator (ruler of an empire) · fr empereur (ruler of an empire) · ja 帝 (ruler of an empire) · wym kazer (ruler of an empire) · ka იმპერატორი (ruler of an empire) · ml ചക്രവർത്തി (ruler of an empire) · pa ਸਮਰਾਟ (ruler of an empire) · uz podsho (ruler of an empire) · sa सम्राज् (ruler of an empire) · ml സാമ്രാട്ട് (ruler of an empire) · lo ຈັກກະພັດ (ruler of an empire) · xcl կայսր (ruler of an empire) · et keiser (ruler of an empire) · ug پادىشا (ruler of an empire) · nds-de Kaiser (ruler of an empire) · sa राजाधिराज (ruler of an empire) · sh cȁr (ruler of an empire) · tr ilhan (ruler of an empire) · kmr şehanşeh (ruler of an empire) · fy keizer (ruler of an empire) · lo ຣາເຊນ (ruler of an empire) · mi epara (ruler of an empire) · mr सम्राट (ruler of an empire) · vi hoàng đế (ruler of an empire) · ru царь (ruler of an empire) · he קיסר \ קֵיסָר (ruler of an empire) · yi אימפּעראַטאָר (ruler of an empire) · cu цѣсар҄ь (ruler of an empire) · tg император (ruler of an empire) · orv цьсарь (ruler of an empire) · wa impreur (ruler of an empire) · br impalaer (ruler of an empire) · ps قيصر (ruler of an empire) · ru импера́тор (ruler of an empire) · uz imperator (ruler of an empire) · sv kejsare (ruler of an empire) · fa-ira اِمْپِراتور (ruler of an empire) · tt патша (ruler of an empire) · pl kajzer (ruler of an empire) · fa-ira قِیصَر (ruler of an empire) · be цар (ruler of an empire) · ug ئىمپېراتور (ruler of an empire) · ky падыша (ruler of an empire) · yue 皇帝 (ruler of an empire) · mi emepara (ruler of an empire) · mn ᠡᠵᠡᠨ ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ (ruler of an empire) · pl imperator (ruler of an empire) · ms maharaja (ruler of an empire) · io imperiestro (ruler of an empire) · sk cisár (ruler of an empire) · km សម្រាជ (ruler of an empire) · lt ciesorius (ruler of an empire) · de Kaiser (ruler of an empire) · eo imperiestro (ruler of an empire) · lv ķeizars (ruler of an empire) · dng хуонди (ruler of an empire) · lv imperators (ruler of an empire) · io cezaro (ruler of an empire) · tg подшоҳ (ruler of an empire) · tk imperator (ruler of an empire) · lo ນໍລິນ (ruler of an empire) · hu császár (ruler of an empire) · scn mpiraturi (ruler of an empire) · grc αὐτοκράτωρ (ruler of an empire) · rm imperatour (ruler of an empire) · sh cȅsār (ruler of an empire) · ast emperador (ruler of an empire) · rup ampirat (ruler of an empire) · el αυτοκράτορας (ruler of an empire) · tk patyşa (ruler of an empire) · ar إِمْبْرَاطُور (ruler of an empire) · kk патша (ruler of an empire) · bn সম্রাট (ruler of an empire) · tg подишоҳ (ruler of an empire) · sk cár (ruler of an empire) · is keisari (ruler of an empire) · bg импера́тор (ruler of an empire) · mk импера́тор (ruler of an empire) · ja 天皇 (ruler of an empire) · yi קייסער (ruler of an empire) · id kaisar (ruler of an empire) · sh импѐра̄тор (ruler of an empire) · cmn 皇上 (ruler of an empire) · cmn 皇帝 (ruler of an empire) · mnk mansa (ruler of an empire) · km អធិរាជ (ruler of an empire) · hi सम्राट (ruler of an empire) · rm imperataur (ruler of an empire) · fo keisari (ruler of an empire) · tl emperador (ruler of an empire)