English
emperor
Emperor comes from Anglo-Norman emperour, from Latin imperō ‘to command’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pr̥h₃o-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pr̥h₃o-reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*paro-reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEparō‘to arrange, order, contrive, design’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimperō‘to command’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimperātorem
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400emperour
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘an emperor’
- Englishearliest quotation 1885emperor
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pr̥h₃o-reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*paro-reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEparō‘to arrange, order, contrive, design’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimperō‘to command’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimperātorem
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400emperour
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘an emperor’
- Englishearliest quotation 1885emperor
Earliest quotation: 1885, John Ormsby, Don Quixote: “They asked Julius Caesar, the valiant Roman emperor, what…”
Linked words
through Latin parō ‘to arrange, order, contrive, design’
several, separate, repair, preparation, separation, apparatus, apparel, parachute, preparatory, disparate, inseparable, severance, pare, separator, reparation, rampart, separable, 15 more
through Latin imperō ‘to command’
empire, imperial, empress, imperious, imperium, imperator, 7 more
Today it means
noun The male monarch or ruler of an empire.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pr̥h₃o- / emperor