imperial: Meaning and Definition of
im•pe•ri•al
Pronunciation: (im-pēr'ē-ul), [key] — adj.
- of, like, or pertaining to an empire.
- of, like, or pertaining to an emperor or empress.
- characterizing the rule or authority of a sovereign state over its dependencies.
- of the nature or rank of an emperor or supreme ruler.
- of a commanding quality, manner, aspect, etc.
- domineering; imperious.
- befitting an emperor or empress; regal; majestic; very fine or grand; magnificent.
- of special or superior size or quality, as various products and commodities.
- (of weights and measures) conforming to the standards legally established in Great Britain.
—n. - a size of printing or drawing paper, 22 × 30 in. (56 × 76 cm) in England, 23 × 33 in. (58 × 84 cm) in America.
- a size of book, about 8 × 11 in. (21 × 29 cm), untrimmed, in America, and 7 × 11 in. (19 × 28 cm), untrimmed, in England. Abbr.: imperial 8vo
- a size of book, about 11 × 15 in. (28 × 38 cm), untrimmed. Abbr.: imperial 4to
- the top of a carriage, esp. of a diligence.
- a case for luggage carried there.
- a member of an imperial party or of imperial troops.
- an emperor or empress.
- any of various articles of special size or quality.
- an oversized bottle used esp. for storing Bordeaux wine, equivalent to 8 regular bottles or 6 l (6.6 qt.).
im•pe•ri•al
Pronunciation: (im-pēr'ē-ul), [key] — n.
- a small, pointed beard beneath the lower lip.
im•pe•ri•al
Pronunciation: (im-pēr'ē-ul), [key] — n.
- a Russian gold coin originally worth 10 rubles and from 1897 to 1917 worth 15 rubles.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.