Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Imperial?

\Im*pe"ri*al\, a. [OE. emperial, OF. emperial, F. imp['e]rial, fr. L. imperialis, fr. imperium command, sovereignty, empire. See {Empire}.] 1. Of or pertaining to an empire, or to an emperor; as, an imperial government; imperial authority or edict. The last That wore the imperial diadem of Rome. --Shak. 2. Belonging to, or suitable to, supreme authority, or one who wields it; royal; sovereign; supreme. ``The imperial democracy of Athens.'' --Mitford. Who, as Ulysses says, opinion crowns With an imperial voice. --Shak. To tame the proud, the fetter'd slave to free, These are imperial arts, and worthy thee. --Dryden. He sounds his imperial clarion along the whole line of battle. --E. Everett. 3. Of superior or unusual size or excellence; as, imperial paper; imperial tea, etc. {Imperial bushel}, {gallon}, etc. See {Bushel}, {Gallon}, etc. {Imperial chamber}, the, the sovereign court of the old German empire. {Imperial city}, under the first German empire, a city having no head but the emperor. {Imperial diet}, an assembly of all the states of the German empire. {Imperial drill}. (Manuf.) See under 8th {Drill}. {Imperial eagle}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Eagle}. {Imperial green}. See {Paris green}, under {Green}. {Imperial guard}, the royal guard instituted by Napoleon I. {Imperial weights and measures}, the standards legalized by the British Parliament.
\Im*pe"ri*al\, n. [F. imp['e]riale: cf. Sp. imperial.] 1. The tuft of hair on a man's lower lip and chin; -- so called from the style of beard of Napoleon III. 2. An outside seat on a diligence. --T. Hughes. 3. A luggage case on the top of a coach. --Simmonds. 4. Anything of unusual size or excellence, as a large decanter, a kind of large photograph, a large sheet of drowing, printing, or writing paper, etc. 5. A gold coin of Russia worth ten rubles, or about eight dollars. --McElrath. 6. A kind of fine cloth brought into England from Greece. or other Eastern countries, in the Middle Ages.
\Im*pe"ri*al\, n. A game at cards differing from piquet in some minor details, and in having a trump; also, any one of several combinations of cards which score in this game.