empire

 
Pronunciation: /ˈɛmpʌɪə/

noun

  • 1an extensive group of states or countries ruled over by a single monarch, an oligarchy, or a sovereign state: [in names]: the Roman Empire
  • [mass noun] supreme political power over several countries when exercised by a single authority: he encouraged the Greeks in their dream of empire in Asia Minor
  • 2an extensive sphere of activity controlled by one person or group: the kitchen had once been the school dinner ladies' empire
  • a large commercial organization owned or controlled by one person or group: her business empire grew

adjective

(Empire) [attributive]
  • 1denoting a style of furniture, decoration, or dress fashionable chiefly during the First Empire in France. The decorative style was neoclassical but marked by an interest in Egyptian and other ancient motifs.
  • 2British dated denoting produce from the Commonwealth.

Origin:

Middle English: via Old French from Latin imperium, related to imperare 'to command' (see emperor)