empire

From Middle English empire, from Old French empire, empere, from Latin imperium, inperium (“command, control, dominion, sovereignty, a dominion, empire”), from imperare, inperare (“to command, order”), from in (“in, on”) + parare (“to make ready, order”).

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ĕmʹpīə, ĕmʹpī-ə, IPA^(key): /ˈɛmpaɪə/, /ˈɛmpaɪ.ə/
• (General American) enPR: ĕmʹpīr', ĕmʹpī'ər, IPA^(key): /ˈɛmˌpaɪɹ/, /ˈɛmˌpaɪɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: em‧pire

empire (plural empires)

1. A political unit having an extensive territory or comprising a number of territories or nations and ruled by a single supreme authority.
2. A political unit that controls at least one kingdom under its vassalage.
3. A group of states or other territories that owe allegiance to a foreign power.
4. A state ruled by an emperor.

   The Empire of Vietnam was a short-lived client state of Japan governing Vietnam between March 11 and August 23, 1945.

5. An expansive and wealthy corporation.

   the McDonald's fast food empire

• emperor
• imperial
• imperium

• empire in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• empire in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• empire at OneLook Dictionary Search

empire (not comparable)

1. Alternative letter-case form of Empire.

• E-Prime, epimer, permie, premie

• IPA^(key): /ˈempire/, [ˈe̞mpire̞]
• Hyphenation: em‧pi‧re

empire

1. (architecture) Empire style

From Old French, from Latin imperium.

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃.piʁ/

• Audio

  (file)

empire m (plural empires)

1. empire
2. influence, authority

• empereur
• impératrice
• imperial

• Russian: ампи́р (ampír)

empire

1. first-person singular present indicative of empirer
2. third-person singular present indicative of empirer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of empirer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of empirer
5. second-person singular imperative of empirer

• “empire” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• périmé, primée

• empiere

From Vulgar Latin *implīre, present active infinitive of *impliō, from Latin impleō.

empire

1. (transitive, obsolete) to fill, to overflow

• riempire

• pieno

• permei
• premei

• empyre, enpyre, empyere, empere, empeyr, empir, enpir, ampyre

Borrowed from Old French empire, empere, from Latin imperium, inperium (“command, control, dominion, sovereignty, a dominion, empire”), from imperare, inperare (“to command, order”), from in (“in, on”) + parare (“to make ready, order”). Doublet of emperie.

• IPA^(key): /ɛmˈpiːr(ə)/, /ɛmˈpɛːr(ə)/, /ˈɛmpiːr(ə)/, /am-/

empire

1. Emperorship; the office, power or title of emperor.
2. An empire; the domain of an emperor or empress.
3. (rare) Total power or influence, especially when wielded by gods.

   • a. 1382, John Wycliffe, “Apocalips 1:5-6”, in Wycliffe's Bible:

     (of Jheſu Criſt,) / that is a feithful witneſſe, the firſte bigetun of deed men, and prince of kingis of the erthe; which louyde vs, and waiſchide vs fro oure ſynnes in his blood / and made vs a kyngdom, and preeſtis to God and to his fader; to hym be glorie and empire in to worldis of worldis.

     (of Jesus Christ,) / who is a reliable witness, the firstborn of dead people, and prince of the earth's rulers. To him who loved us, cleansed us from our sins with his blood, / and made us a kingdom / and priests of God/his father; to him are glory and power for many ages.

4. (rare) A region of control; a field or zone.
5. (rare, Christianity) God's kingdom in the heavens.

• English: empire
• Scots: empire

• “empīre, n.” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-03-24.

From Latin imperium, inperium (“command, control, dominion, sovereignty, a dominion, empire”), from imperare, inperare (“to command, order”), from in (“in, on”) + parare (“to make ready, order”).

• IPA^(key): /ẽmˈpi.rə/, (late) /ãmˈpi.rə/

empire m (oblique plural empires, nominative singular empires, nominative plural empire)

1. empire

• Middle English: empire
  • English: empire
• French: empire