empire

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a group of countries under a single authority

   the British created a great empire

2. 2
   noun

   A political state, often a monarchy, that has achieved a much greater current size than its initial size by conquering surrounding territories, cities or nations.

   the Russian empire

3. 3
   noun

   A political unit ruled by an emperor or empress.

   The Empire of Vietnam was a short-lived client state of Japan governing Vietnam between March 11 and August 23, 1945.

4. 4
   noun

   The group of states or other territories that owe allegiance to an imperial power (foreign to them), when distinguished from the native territory of that power; imperial possessions.

   British people [...] continued to believe in empire. It was what gave Britain a unique role in the world, and in return Britain had drawn strength from its empire to enable it to survive two great wars that had wrecked so many of its competitors. Imperial management in the twentieth[…]

5. 5
   noun

   An expansive and powerful enterprise under the control of one person or group.

   the McDonald's fast food empire

6. 6
   noun

   control, dominion, sway.

   Each master whim maintains its hour of empire, And obstinately faithful to its dictates

7. 7
   adj

   Following or imitating a style popular during the First French Empire (1804–1814).

   However, the first style of this century was known as Empire furniture. It was a derivative of the French Empire furniture, popular at that time.

8. 8
   adj

   Produced in a dependency of the British Empire or Commonwealth of Nations.

   Wine from Portugal and France showed an irregular downward tendency over the period, while Empire wine from Australia and British South Africa rose rapidly, the former increasing nearly threefold between 1925 and 1927.

Etymology

From Middle English empire, from Old French empire, empere, from Latin imperium, inperium (“command, control, dominion, sovereignty, a dominion, empire”), from imperare, inperare (“to command, order”), from in (“in, on”) + parare (“to make ready, order”). Doublet of empery and imperium.