Imperiums

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sovereign power or authority commanding vast territories and influence
2. An empire or dominion that demonstrates control over multiple regions or peoples
3. A realm characterized by extensive governance and supremacy over a diverse populace

Etymology: "Imperiums" is the plural of "imperium," a noun for vast ruled territories. The singular comes straight from Latin, where "imperium" meant "power" or "command," and it was built from "imperō," "to command or order," itself formed from "in-" (a form of "in") and "parō," "to prepare, arrange, or intend." So the Roman sense of the word was closer to "authority to give orders" than to any territory. The shift from authority to land happened because the Romans applied "imperium" to the power a magistrate held over a region, and that region became the thing the word named. English took the term directly from Latin, and it now sits as a near twin of "empire" and "empery," which descend from the same Latin source through different routes. Where "empire" became the everyday word, "imperium" stayed a more formal, technical choice, which is why its plural is so rarely needed.

Synonyms: empires, dominions, realms, kingdoms