May 28, 2011
- emperor (noun)
- \EM-per-er\
- What does it mean?
- : the ruler of an empire
- How do you use it?
- The tomb of China's first sovereign emperor, Shih Huang-ti of the second century B.C., was discovered in 1974 and it contained an army of over 6,000 life-size clay soldiers with horses, chariots, weapons, and other objects.
- Are you a word wiz?
The word "emperor" traces to the Latin word "imperator." What do you think "imperator" means?
Answer C rules! The word "emperor" traces back to the first Roman emperor. He was known as Imperator Caesar Augustus and he was the adopted son of the great Roman general and leader Julius Caesar. The Latin word "imperator" was originally a title given to great Roman generals. The word meant "commander," and it was derived from the verb "imperare," meaning "to command." It is because Caesar Augustus used "imperator" as a title that we use "emperor" as we do today.
