empire

noun ahm-PEER Less Common

Origin: Latin imperium

Also means

dominion

Usage Note

Empire refers to a political empire but also to any powerful sphere of influence: un empire médiatique (a media empire). In design and furniture, le style Empire refers to the early 19th-century Napoleonic aesthetic. The phrase sous l'empire de (under the sway of) means being driven by a feeling or force.

Examples

"L'empire romain a duré plusieurs siècles."

Natural Translation

The Roman Empire lasted several centuries.

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