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scepter

 [sep-ter]   Example Sentences Origin

scep·ter

   [sep-ter]
noun
1.
a rod or wand borne in the hand as an emblem of regal or imperial power.
2.
royal or imperial power or authority; sovereignty.
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verb (used with object)
3.
to give a scepter to; invest with authority.

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to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
to bark; yelp.
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Also, especially British, sceptre.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English (s)ceptre < Old French < Latin scēptrum < Greek skêptron staff; akin to shaft

Related forms
scep·ter·less, adjective
scep·tral  [sep-truhl] , adjective
un·scep·tered, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To scepter
Example Sentences
  • He wears a carved watermelon rind crown and holds a watermelon vine scepter.
Collins
World English Dictionary
sceptre or scepter (ˈsɛptə)
 
—n
1.  a ceremonial staff held by a monarch as the symbol of authority
2.  imperial authority; sovereignty
 
—vb
3.  (tr) to invest with authority
 
[C13: from Old French sceptre, from Latin scēptrum, from Greek skeptron staff]
 
scepter or scepter
 
—n
 
—vb
 
[C13: from Old French sceptre, from Latin scēptrum, from Greek skeptron staff]
 
'sceptred or scepter
 
—adj
 
'sceptered or scepter
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

scepter
c.1300, from O.Fr. sceptre, from L. sceptrum, from Gk. skeptron "staff," from root of skeptesthai "to prop oneself." Cognate with O.E. sceaft (see shaft).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

scepter

ornamented rod or staff borne by rulers on ceremonial occasions as an emblem of authority and sovereignty. The primeval symbol of the staff was familiar to the Greeks and Romans and to the Germanic tribes in various forms (baculus, "long staff"; sceptrum, "short staff") and had various significances. The staff of command belonged to God as well as to the earthly ruler; there were the old man's staff, the messenger's wand, the shepherd's crook, and, derived from it, the bishop's, and so on.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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