Empress
/ˈem.prəs/noun
A female emperor or the wife of an emperor.
Did you know?Empress entered English through Old French from Latin *imperātrix*, the feminine form of *imperātor* (“commander”), a title originally tied to military power before becoming a royal rank.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to try, risk, or bring forth”
Latin
Latin
parere
“to bring forth, produce”
Latin
Latin
imperare
“to command, order”
Latin
Latin
imperator
“a commander, especially a military commander”
Old French
Old French
emperesse
“a female emperor; the wife of an emperor”
Middle English
English
emperesse
“a female emperor or empress”
Modern English
English
empress
“a female emperor or the wife of an emperor”
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