English
imperious
Imperious comes from Latin imperiōsus ‘mighty, powerful’, from imperō ‘command, order’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- ‘to grant’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perh₃-‘to grant’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pr̥h₃-o-‘providing’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEparō‘prepare, arrange’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimperō‘command, order’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimperium‘command, authority, power’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimperiōsus‘mighty, powerful’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588imperious
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perh₃-‘to grant’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pr̥h₃-o-‘providing’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEparō‘prepare, arrange’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimperō‘command, order’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimperium‘command, authority, power’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimperiōsus‘mighty, powerful’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588imperious
Earliest quotation: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “The frowning lookes of fiery Tamburlaine, That with his…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- ‘to grant’
part, expert, para, experiment, parental, parcel, parity, 45 more
through Latin parō ‘prepare, arrange’
several, separate, repair, preparation, separation, apparel, apparatus, parachute, preparatory, disparate, inseparable, severance, separator, pare, rampart, separable, reparation, 17 more
through Latin imperō ‘command, order’
emperor, empress, imperator, 9 more
through Latin imperium ‘command, authority, power’
Today it means
adj Domineering, arrogant, or overbearing.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- / imperious