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em·per·or

(ĕmpər-ər)

1. The male ruler of an empire.

a. The emperor butterfly.

b. The emperor moth.

c. The emperor penguin.

[Middle English emperour, from Old French empereor, from Latin imperātor, from imperāre, to command : in-, in; see EN-¹ + parāre, to prepare; see perə-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

emper·or·ship′ n.

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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