emperor

noun

em·​per·​or ˈem-pər-ər 

-prər

1

: the sovereign or supreme male monarch of an empire

2

: emperor penguin

emperorship

ˈem-pər-ər-ˌship 

-prər-

noun

Did you know?

The words emperor, caesar, czar, and Kaiser all go back to one source: the title of the first Roman emperor, Imperator Caesar Augustus. Augustus was the adopted son of the Roman general and ruler Julius Caesar and he took the name Caesar as part of his official name. Later Roman emperors did the same, and thus caesar came to mean “an emperor of Rome.” The word caesar was borrowed into German and other Germanic languages as Kaiser, which is how we get the word kaiser for “a ruler in Germany.” Through the Russian word tsar, which also came from kaiser, we got our word czar, meaning “a ruler in Russia.” The word emperor can be traced through French to Latin imperator. Imperator was a title given to great Roman generals and meant “commander,” from the verb imperare “to command.”

Examples of emperor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Named after the last Aztec emperor, who was executed by the Spanish conquerors in 1525, it was built in Spain in 1981 and acquired by the Mexican Navy to train cadets and officers. —Michelle Watson, CNN Money, 19 May 2025

On May 5, 1862, the French army — white, European, wealthy — invaded Mexico to install a puppet emperor. —Hashim Coates, Denver Post, 5 May 2025

The Empire was a sinister, one-note shadow: faceless Storm Troopers, toadying fascistic generals, a cackling emperor, and of course Darth Vader, an enigmatic demon masked and cloaked in black. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025

The coins featured the faces of 11 Roman emperors and empresses, including Nero and Marcus Aurelius, according to the University of Oxford’s Coin Hoards of the Roman Empire Project database. —Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English emperour, borrowed from Anglo-French empereor, amperour, going back to Latin imperātōr-, imperātor "person giving orders, commanding officer, title of honor bestowed on a victorious general by his troops, title conferred by the Roman senate on Julius Caesar and Augustus and adopted by later successors," from imperāre "to demand the production of, levy, give orders, exercise authority, hold political power" (from im- in- entry 2 + parāre "to supply, provide, make ready") + -tōr-, -tor, agent suffix — more at pare

Note: See note at pare.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing emperor

• emperor penguin

Kids Definition

emperor

noun

em·​per·​or ˈem-pər-ər 

-prər

: the ruler of an empire

Etymology

Middle English emperour "emperor," from early French emperur (same meaning), from Latin imperator "commander" (title assumed by Caesar Augustus), from imperare "to command"

Word Origin

The word emperor is a general word for a ruler having total control of a country or region. There are similar words for such all-powerful rulers in various countries: the Caesars in ancient Rome, the czars in Russia, the kaisers in Germany. All these terms go back to one source: the first of the emperors of the Roman lands, known as Imperator Caesar Augustus. Augustus (whose name was really a title, meaning "honorable") was the adopted son of the great Roman general and ruler Julius Caesar. Augustus took the family name Caesar as part of his official name. Later emperors of Rome also used the name Caesar to show that they were heirs to the throne. This is how the word Caesar came to be used to mean "an emperor of Rome." The word Caesar was spelled kaisar and later kaiser in the Germanic languages of Europe. It is from this word that we got our English word kaiser for "a ruler in Germany." Through the Russian word tsar', which also came from the Germanic word kaisar, we got our English word czar, meaning "a ruler in Russia." Use of the word emperor itself can also be traced back to Imperator Caesar Augustus. The Latin word imperator was originally a title given to great Roman generals. The word meant "commander," and it was derived from the verb imperare "to command." It is because Augustus, the first Roman emperor, used imperator as a title that we use emperor as we do today.