noun
Kaiser
KEYE-zuh
noun
1
The historical title for the emperor of Germany or Austria, most famously Wilhelm II of Germany.
"The kaiser abdicated at the end of the First World War."
2
Any emperor or autocratic ruler, or someone who acts like one.
"His coworkers joked he ran the office like a little kaiser."
3
A round, crusty bread roll with a distinctive pinwheel pattern on top.
"She ordered a sandwich on a kaiser roll."
How to Use Kaiser
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishGerman for "emperor," used historically for German and Austrian rulers, and also the name of a type of bread roll.
Common mistake
Don't confuse the bread roll sense with the historical title — context makes it obvious, but they share the same root word.
Word Forms
Kaisers plural
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The _____ abdicated at the end of the First World War.
Etymology
Borrowed from German kaiser ("emperor"), itself ultimately derived from the Roman name Caesar — making it a distant cousin of both "Caesar" and the Russian title "tsar."