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Na·po·le·on I (nə-pōlē-ən, -pōlyən) Originally Napoleon Bonaparte. Known as "the Little Corporal." 1769-1821.
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Emperor of the French and King of Italy (1804-1814). A brilliant military strategist, he overthrew the French Directory (1799) and proclaimed himself first consul and, later, emperor (1804). His military and political might gripped Continental Europe, but after a disastrous winter campaign in Russia (1812), he was forced to abdicate (1814). Having been exiled to the island of Elba, he escaped, briefly regained power, and was ultimately defeated at Waterloo (1815) and exiled for life to the island of St. Helena. His codification of laws, the Napoleonic Code, still forms the basis of French civil law.

Na·pole·onic (-ŏnĭk) adj.
(click for a larger image)
Napoleon I
portrait by Anne-Louis
Girodet de Roussy-Trioson
(1767-1824)

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.