caius caesar

1382; O.E. had casere, which would have yielded modern *coser, but it was replaced in M.E. by keiser, from Norse or Low Ger., and later in M.E. by the Fr. or L. form of the name. Cæsar was used as a title of emperors down to Hadrian (138 C.E.), and also is the root of Ger. Kaiser and Rus. tsar (see czar). He competes as progenitor of words for "king" with Charlemagne (L. Carolus), as in Lithuanian karalius, Polish krol, Hungarian kiraly. In U.S. slang c.1900, a sheriff was Great Seizer. The Caesar salad is named not for the emperor, but for Cesar Cardini, Tijuana, Mexico, restaurant owner, who is said to have served the first one c.1924.