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imperial - 8 dictionary results
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im⋅pe⋅ri⋅al

1  [im-peer-ee-uhl]
Use imperial in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of, like, or pertaining to an empire.
2. of, like, or pertaining to an emperor or empress.
3. characterizing the rule or authority of a sovereign state over its dependencies.
4. of the nature or rank of an emperor or supreme ruler.
5. of a commanding quality, manner, aspect, etc.
6. domineering; imperious.
7. befitting an emperor or empress; regal; majestic; very fine or grand; magnificent.
8. of special or superior size or quality, as various products and commodities.
9. (of weights and measures) conforming to the standards legally established in Great Britain.
–noun
10. a size of printing or drawing paper, 22 × 30 in. (56 × 76 cm) in England, 23 × 33 in. (58 × 84 cm) in America.
11. imperial octavo, a size of book, about 8 1/4 × 11 1/2 in. (21 × 29 cm), untrimmed, in America, and 7 1/2 × 11 in. (19 × 28 cm), untrimmed, in England. Abbreviation: imperial 8vo
12. imperial quarto, Chiefly British. a size of book, about 11 × 15 in. (28 × 38 cm), untrimmed. Abbreviation: imperial 4to
13. the top of a carriage, esp. of a diligence.
14. a case for luggage carried there.
15. a member of an imperial party or of imperial troops.
16. an emperor or empress.
17. any of various articles of special size or quality.
18. an oversized bottle used esp. for storing Bordeaux wine, equivalent to 8 regular bottles or 6 l (6.6 qt.).
Origin:
1325–75; ME < LL imperiālis, equiv. to L imperi(um) imperium + -ālis -al 1 ; r. ME emperial < MF < LL, as above

Related forms:
im⋅pe⋅ri⋅al⋅ly, adverb
im⋅pe⋅ri⋅al⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
6. despotic, high-handed, authoritarian.

im⋅pe⋅ri⋅al

2  [im-peer-ee-uhl]
–noun
a small, pointed beard beneath the lower lip.
Origin:
1835–45; < F impériale, n. use of fem. of impérial imperial 1

im⋅pe⋅ri⋅al

3  [im-peer-ee-uhl]
–noun
a Russian gold coin originally worth 10 rubles and from 1897 to 1917 worth 15 rubles.
Origin:
1830–40; < Russ imperiál ≪ ML imperiālis a coin, n. use of LL imperiālis imperial 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To imperial
im·pe·ri·al   (ĭm-pîr'ē-əl)   
adj.  
  1. Of, relating to, or suggestive of an empire or a sovereign, especially an emperor or empress: imperial rule; the imperial palace.
  2. Ruling over extensive territories or over colonies or dependencies: imperial nations.
    1. Having supreme authority; sovereign.
    2. Regal; majestic.
  4. Outstanding in size or quality.
  5. Of or belonging to the British Imperial System of weights and measures.
n.  
  1. An emperor or empress.
  2. The top of a carriage.
  3. Something outstanding in size or quality.
  4. A variable size of paper, usually 23 by 33 inches (55.8 by 83.8 centimeters).
  5. A pointed beard grown from the lower lip and chin.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin imperiālis, from imperium, command; see empire. N., sense 5, after the beard of Napoleon III.]
im·pe'ri·al·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Imperial

Im*pe"ri*al\, a. [OE. emperial, OF. emperial, F. imp['e]rial, fr. L. imperialis, fr. imperium command, sovereignty, empire. See Empire.]

1. Of or pertaining to an empire, or to an emperor; as, an imperial government; imperial authority or edict.

The last That wore the imperial diadem of Rome. --Shak.

2. Belonging to, or suitable to, supreme authority, or one who wields it; royal; sovereign; supreme. "The imperial democracy of Athens." --Mitford.

Who, as Ulysses says, opinion crowns With an imperial voice. --Shak.

To tame the proud, the fetter'd slave to free, These are imperial arts, and worthy thee. --Dryden.

He sounds his imperial clarion along the whole line of battle. --E. Everett.

3. Of superior or unusual size or excellence; as, imperial paper; imperial tea, etc.

Imperial bushel, gallon, etc. See Bushel, Gallon, etc.

Imperial chamber, the, the sovereign court of the old German empire.

Imperial city, under the first German empire, a city having no head but the emperor.

Imperial diet, an assembly of all the states of the German empire.

Imperial drill. (Manuf.) See under 8th Drill.

Imperial eagle. (Zo["o]l.) See Eagle.

Imperial green. See Paris green, under Green.

Imperial guard, the royal guard instituted by Napoleon I.

Imperial weights and measures, the standards legalized by the British Parliament.

Imperial

Im*pe"ri*al\, n. [F. imp['e]riale: cf. Sp. imperial.]

1. The tuft of hair on a man's lower lip and chin; -- so called from the style of beard of Napoleon III.

2. An outside seat on a diligence. --T. Hughes.

3. A luggage case on the top of a coach. --Simmonds.

4. Anything of unusual size or excellence, as a large decanter, a kind of large photograph, a large sheet of drowing, printing, or writing paper, etc.

5. A gold coin of Russia worth ten rubles, or about eight dollars. --McElrath.

6. A kind of fine cloth brought into England from Greece. or other Eastern countries, in the Middle Ages.

Imperial

Im*pe"ri*al\, n. A game at cards differing from piquet in some minor details, and in having a trump; also, any one of several combinations of cards which score in this game.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : imperial
Spanish: imperial,
German: kaiserlich,
Japanese: 帝国の
More Translations »

imperial 
c.1374, "having a commanding quality," from O.Fr. imperial (12c.), from L. imperialis "of the empire or emperor," from imperium (see empire). Meaning "of or pertaining to an empire" (especially the Roman) is from 1390. An imperialist originally was "an adherent of an emperor," such as the emperor of Germany, France, China, etc. The shift in meaning came via the British Empire, which involved a worldwide colonial system. Imperialism, in the sense of "one country's rule over another," first recorded 1878. Picked up disparagingly in Communist jargon 1918; imperialist (n.) in this sense first recorded 1963.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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