Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler: Relating to an emperor, empress, or empire; having the dignity, authority, or grandeur associated with one.
   • Of or belonging to the British Imperial System: Relating to the traditional system of weights and measures (e.g., gallons, inches) used historically in the British Empire.
   • Relating to or associated with an empire: Pertaining to the government, policy, or character of an empire.

2. Noun:

   • A piece of luggage carried on top of a coach: A trunk or case for belongings mounted on the roof of a horse-drawn carriage.
   • A small tufted beard worn by Emperor Napoleon III: A style of facial hair consisting of a small, pointed tuft of hair under the lower lip.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The ambassador was received with imperial ceremony. (The ambassador was received with the formal grandeur befitting an emperor.)
  • The recipe calls for two imperial gallons of water. (The recipe requires two gallons measured by the British Imperial System.)
  • The nation pursued an imperial policy of expansion. (The nation followed a policy characteristic of building an empire.)

• Noun:

  • They strapped the heavy imperial to the top of the stagecoach. (They secured the large roof-trunk to the top of the stagecoach.)
  • He grew an imperial in imitation of the French emperor. (He grew a small, tufted beard like the one worn by Napoleon III.)

Advanced Usage

• "Imperial presidency": A term describing a U.S. presidency with powers perceived as exceeding constitutional limits, akin to an emperor's authority.
  • Critics accused him of creating an imperial presidency.
• "Imperial purple": A deep, rich purple dye historically associated with Roman and Byzantine emperors.
  • The robe was dyed in imperial purple.

Variants and Related Words

• Imperially (adverb): In an imperial manner.
  • The decree was issued imperially.
• Imperialism (noun): A policy of extending a country's power through colonization or military force.
• Imperialist (noun/adjective): (A person) advocating or practicing imperialism.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Regal, royal, sovereign, majestic, monarchical.
• Noun (beard): Goatee, tuft.

Related Phrases

• Imperial city: Historically, a city with special political status, often directly subject to the emperor (e.g., in the Holy Roman Empire).
• Imperial gallon: A unit of volume in the British Imperial System, equal to approximately 4.546 litres.

Related Idioms

• "Imperial ambitions": Desires for great power and territorial expansion, like those of an empire.
  • The general was known for his imperial ambitions.

Adjective

1. belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler
   • golden age of imperial splendor
   • purple tyrant
   • regal attire
   • treated with royal acclaim
   • the royal carriage of a stag's head
2. befitting or belonging to an emperor or empress
   • imperial palace
3. of or belonging to the British Imperial System of weights and measures
4. relating to or associated with an empire
   • imperial colony
   • the imperial gallon was standardized legally throughout the British Empire

Noun

1. a piece of luggage carried on top of a coach
2. a small tufted beard worn by Emperor Napoleon III