imperial

English Online Dictionary. What means imperial‎? What does imperial mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English imperial, from Old French imperial, from Latin imperiālis (“of the empire or emperor, imperial”), from imperium (“empire, imperial government”) + -ālis, from imperō (“command, order”), from im- (“form of in”) + parō (“prepare, arrange; intend”). Displaced Old English cāserlīċ.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General Australian) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɪə.ɹi.əl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɪɹ.i.əl/

Adjective

imperial (comparative more imperial, superlative most imperial)

1. Related to an empire, emperor, or empress.
2. Relating to the British imperial system of measurement.
3. Very grand or fine.
4. Of special, superior, or unusual size or excellence.
5. (in particular, of alcohol) Stronger than typical. (Derived from the name of Russian Imperial stout, a strong dark beer.)

   Imperial pale ale, Imperial IPA, Imperial pilsner, Imperial milk stout, Imperial lager, Imperial mead

Synonyms

• (humorous): in old money

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

imperial (countable and uncountable, plural imperials)

1. A bottle of wine (usually Bordeaux) containing 6 liters of fluid, eight times the volume of a standard bottle.
2. (paper, printing) A writing paper size measuring 30 × 22 inches, or printing paper measuring 32 × 22 inches.
3. (card games, uncountable) A card game differing from piquet in some minor details, and in having a trump.
4. (card games, countable) Any of several combinations of cards which score in this game.
5. A crown imperial.
6. A tuft of hair on the lower lip (so called from its use by Napoleon III).

   Synonym: royal

7. A kind of dome, as in Moorish buildings.
8. (historical) An outside or roof seat on a diligence or carriage.
9. (historical) A suitcase or trunk designed to be transported on the roof of a carriage.
10. (countable, uncountable) A variety of green tea.

Usage notes

• A champagne or Burgundy wine bottle with the same volume would be called a methuselah.

Anagrams

• Palmieri

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin imperiālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [im.pə.ɾiˈal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [im.pe.ɾiˈal]

Adjective

imperial m or f (masculine and feminine plural imperials)

1. imperial

Derived terms

• imperialisme
• imperialista

Related terms

• emperador
• imperi

Further reading

• “imperial” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “imperial”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “imperial” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “imperial” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Adjective

imperial m or f (plural imperiais)

1. imperial

Derived terms

• imperialismo
• imperialista

Related terms

• imperio

Further reading

• “imperial”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch imperiaal, from French impérial, from Latin imperiālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪmpɛˈrial/
• Rhymes: -al, -l
• Hyphenation: im‧pè‧ri‧al

Adjective

impèrial

1. imperial

Related terms

Further reading

• “imperial” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• inperial, imperyal, inperyal, imperyall, imperiall, emperiall, empirial

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French imperial, emperial, from Latin imperiālis; equivalent to emperie +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /impɛriˈaːl/, /imˈpɛːrial/, /ɛm-/

Adjective

imperial (plural and weak singular imperiale)

1. Imperial; related to or being of an empire or its ruler.
2. Befitting or appropriate for someone of imperial rank; superb.
3. Unsurpassed, unmatched; lacking an equal or equivalent.

Descendants

• English: imperial
• Scots: imperial

References

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

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin imperiālis.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: im‧pe‧ri‧al

Adjective

imperial m or f (plural imperiais)

1. imperial

Derived terms

Related terms

Noun

imperial f (plural imperiais)

1. (Portugal, regional) draft beer

   Synonyms: (Portugal, regional) fino, (Brazil) chope

Further reading

• “imperial”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French impérial and Latin imperiālis. By surface analysis, imperiu +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌim.pe.riˈal/

Adjective

imperial m or n (feminine singular imperială, masculine plural imperiali, feminine and neuter plural imperiale)

1. imperial

Declension

Related terms

• imperialism
• imperiu
• împărat

Scots

Adjective

imperial (comparative mair imperial, superlative maist imperial)

1. imperial

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin imperiālis (“of the empire or emperor, imperial”), from imperium (“empire, imperial government”) + -ālis, from imperō (“command, order”), from im- (“form of in”) + parō (“prepare, arrange; intend”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /impeˈɾjal/ [ĩm.peˈɾjal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: im‧pe‧rial

Adjective

imperial m or f (masculine and feminine plural imperiales)

1. imperial

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• “imperial”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10