Webster's English Dictionary

Enter the word to look up:

empire

em.pire \'em-.pi-(*)r\ n [ME, fr. OF empire, empirie, fr. L imperium 
   absolute authorit]y, empire, fr. imperare to command 1a1: a major political 
   unit having a territory of great extent or a number  of territories or 
   peoples under a single sovereign authority; esp : one having an emperor as 
   chief of state 1a2: the territory of such a political unit  1b: something 
   held to resemble a political empire; esp : an extensi ve territory or 
   enterprise under single domination or control 2: imperial sovereignty, 
   rule, or dominion Em.pire \'a:m-.pi(*)r, 'em-.pi-(*)r\ aj [F, fr. (le 
   premier) Empire the first Empire of France] : of, relating to, or 
   characteristic of a style (as of clothing) popular  in early 19th-century 
   France