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imperial quarto

 - 2 dictionary results

im⋅pe⋅ri⋅al

1[im-peer-ee-uhl]
–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


im⋅pe⋅ri⋅al⋅ly, adverb
im⋅pe⋅ri⋅al⋅ness, noun


6. despotic, high-handed, authoritarian.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

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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