imperial 1
— imperially , adv. — imperialness , n.
/im pear"ee euhl/ , adj.
1. of, like, or pertaining to an empire.
2. of, like, or pertaining to an emperor or empress.
3. characterizing the rule or authority of a sovereign state over its dependencies.
4. of the nature or rank of an emperor or supreme ruler.
5. of a commanding quality, manner, aspect, etc.
6. domineering; imperious.
7. befitting an emperor or empress; regal; majestic; very fine or grand; magnificent.
8. of special or superior size or quality, as various products and commodities.
9. (of weights and measures) conforming to the standards legally established in Great Britain.
n.
10. a size of printing or drawing paper, 22 × 30 in. (56 × 76 cm) in England, 23 × 33 in. (58 × 84 cm) in America.
11. imperial octavo , a size of book, about 8 1 / 4 × 11 1 / 2 in. (21 × 29 cm), untrimmed, in America, and 7 1 / 2 × 11 in. (19 × 28 cm), untrimmed, in England. Abbr.: imperial 8vo
12. imperial quarto , Chiefly Brit. a size of book, about 11 × 15 in. (28 × 38 cm), untrimmed. Abbr.: imperial 4to
13. the top of a carriage, esp. of a diligence.
14. a case for luggage carried there.
15. a member of an imperial party or of imperial troops.
16. an emperor or empress.
17. any of various articles of special size or quality.
18. an oversized bottle used esp. for storing Bordeaux wine, equivalent to 8 regular bottles or 6 l (6.6 qt.).
[ 1325-75; ME imperialis, equiv. to L imperi ( um ) IMPERIUM + -alis -AL 1 ; r. ME emperial ]
Syn. 6. despotic, high-handed, authoritarian.
imperial 2
/im pear"ee euhl/ , n.
a small, pointed beard beneath the lower lip.
[ 1835-45; impériale, n. use of fem. of impérial IMPERIAL 1 ]
imperial 3
/im pear"ee euhl/ , n.
a Russian gold coin originally worth 10 rubles and from 1897 to 1917 worth 15 rubles.
[ 1830-40; imperiál imperialis a coin, n. use of LL imperialis IMPERIAL 1 ]