Dictionary formimperator, imperatoris(masculine)
Translation
commander, general; emperor
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Grammar
Cases
| Case | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativethe subject | imperator | imperatores |
| Vocativecalling someone: O ... | imperator | imperatores |
| Accusativethe direct object; after ad, in (into), per | imperatorem | imperatores |
| Genitiveof | imperatoris | imperatorum |
| Dativeto, for | imperatori | imperatoribus |
| Ablativeby, with, from; after a, ab, cum, de, e, ex, in (in), sine | imperatore | imperatoribus |
Examples
.
The commander led the army against the enemy.
.
The soldiers praised their commander.
.
We obey the commander's orders.
Romae creatus .
A new emperor was made at Rome.
.
The commander pitched camp near the river.
Imperator, imperatoris is third declension masculine, an agent noun off impero, "I command", with the same -tor suffix as victor, auctor and ductor.
Its history is the trap. Under the Republic it was a battlefield acclamation, not a rank: troops hailed a victorious general imperator on the field, and he kept the title until he had celebrated his triumph, then dropped it. Augustus took it into his name permanently, and from there it slid into meaning the emperor himself - French empereur, Spanish emperador, English emperor. So in Caesar or Livy, imperator means "general", and rendering it "emperor" imports the wrong constitution into the sentence. Note too that the Greek East did not translate it as imperator but used autokrator, which is a different claim altogether.
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imperator: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "imperator" (commander, general; emperor): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is taught in chapter 8, lesson 1: imperator, foedus, ibidem and 6 more words.