empire的词源

英文词源

empire

empire: [13] Empire and its close relatives emperor [13], imperial [14], imperious [16], and imperative [16] all come ultimately from the Latin verb imperāre ‘command’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix in- ‘in relation to’ and parāre ‘make ready’ (source of English prepare), and hence originally meant ‘make preparations for’ before shifting metaphorically to ‘issue commands for’.

Of its derivatives, imperātor (source of English emperor) was used originally for ‘commander of an army’, and only secondarily for the ruler of the Roman empire, while the primary sense of imperium (source of English empire) was ‘a command’, and hence ‘authority’.
=> imperative, imperial, prepare

empire (n.)

early 14c., from Old French empire "rule, authority, kingdom, imperial rule" (11c.), from Latin imperium "a rule, a command; authority, control, power; supreme power, sole dominion; military authority; a dominion, realm," from imperare "to command," from assimilated form of in- "in" (see in- (2)) + parare "to order, prepare" (see pare).

[P]roperly an empire is an aggregate of conquered, colonized, or confederated states, each with its own government subordinate or tributary to that of the empire as a whole. [Century Dictionary]

Not etymologically restricted to "territory ruled by an emperor," but used that way. The Empire, meaning "the British Empire," first recorded 1772 (it officially devolved into "The Commonwealth" in 1931); before that it meant the Holy Roman Empire (1670s). Empire as the name of a style (especially in reference to a style of dresses with high waistlines) is by 1869, in reference to the affected classicism prevailing in France during the reign of Napoleon I (1804-15). Second Empire is in reference to the rule of Napoleon III of France (1852-70). New York has been called the Empire State since 1834.

中文词源

empire：帝国

词源同emperor, 皇帝。

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：empire 词源，empire 含义。

empire：帝国

来源于拉丁语中由in-(与…有关)和基本动词parare(准备,英语prepare的词源)组成的复合动词imperare(管辖),其原始意义为“为…作准备”,后转化为“给…发布命令”;其派生词之一的imperator,意义是“军队指挥官”和“罗马帝国统治者”, 为英语emperor的词源;而派生词imperium(管辖,管辖权)为empire的词源;其余直接或间接由imperare(管辖)派生的英语词汇还有imperial, imperious, imperative。

词根词缀： em-向内 + pir(-par-)准备 + -e

同源词：prepare, emperor, imperial, imperious, imperative