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Em·pire¹

(ŏm-pîr, ĕmpīr′)

adj.

Of, relating to, or characteristic of a neoclassic style, as in clothing or the decorative arts, prevalent in France during the early 1800s.

[After the First Empire, of France (1804-1815).]

(click for a larger image)

Empire1

top: portrait of Désirée Clary (1777-1860), crowned Queen of Sweden in 1829, by François Gerard (1770-1837)

bottom: c. 1804 chair from the boudoir of Josephine Bonaparte, from the shop of Georges Jacob (1739-1814) and his son François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter (1770-1841)

(click for a larger image)

Empire1

Em·pire²

(ĕmpīr′)

A variety of apple having dark red skin and white flesh.

[After the Empire State, nickname for the state of New York, where it was developed.]

em·pire

(ĕmpīr′)

a. A political unit having an extensive territory or comprising a number of territories or nations and ruled by a single supreme authority.

b. The territory included in such a unit.

2. An extensive enterprise under a unified authority:a publishing empire.

3. Imperial or imperialistic sovereignty, domination, or control:the extension of empire to distant lands.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin imperium, from imperāre, to command; see EMPEROR.]

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.

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