emperice

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Latin

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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empērice m

  1. vocative singular of empēricus

Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Anglo-Norman empereiz, contraction of empereriz, from Latin imperatrix; equivalent to emperour +‎ -esse. Final -e is apparently by analogy with other feminine nouns, as the borrowing was early enough for the Middle English gender system to survive.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ɛmpəˈriːs(ə)/, /ɛmpəˈrɛs(ə)/, /ˈɛmpəris(ə)/, /ˈɛmpərɛs(ə)/

Noun

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emperice (plural emperesses)

  1. An empress; a female ruler of an empire.
    • late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Franklin's Tale, The Canterbury Tales, line 1045-1048:
      ‘Your blisful suster, Lucina the shene,
      That of the see is chief goddesse and quene,
      Though Neptunus have deitee in the see,
      Yet emperesse aboven him is she:’
      [...]
      ‘Your blissful sister, Lucina the bright,
      Who of the sea is chief goddess and queen,
      Though Neptune have godly dominion in the sea,
      Yet empress above him is she:’ [...]
  2. The wife or partner of an empire's ruler.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Chaucer to this entry?)

Descendants

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  • English: empress
  • Scots: empress

References

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Old French

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Noun

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emperice oblique singularf (oblique plural emperices, nominative singular emperice, nominative plural emperices)

  1. Late Anglo-Norman form of empereriz