adj
imperial
ihm-PEER-ree-uhl
adj
1
Relating to an empire, or to an emperor or empress.
"The imperial palace once housed the entire royal court."
"Historians study the rise and fall of imperial Rome."
2
Relating to the traditional British system of measurement (as opposed to metric).
"The recipe still uses imperial units like pints and ounces."
3
Grand, majestic, or of superior size and quality.
"The hotel lobby had an imperial grandeur to it."
noun
1
An oversized wine bottle holding about six litres, roughly eight times a standard bottle.
"They opened an imperial of Bordeaux for the anniversary."
How to Use Imperial
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo do with an empire or emperor, or (informally) something impressively large or grand — also the name of the old UK measurement system.
UK vs US
The UK largely switched to metric, but imperial units (miles, pints, pounds) are still common in everyday British speech.
Common pairings
imperial system
imperial rule
imperial stout
Word Forms
more imperial comparative, imperials plural, Imperials plural, most imperial superlative
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Etymology
From Latin imperialis ("of the empire or emperor"), from imperium ("command, empire").