Absolute power; supreme authority; dominion or sovereignty over a territory or people.
From Middle English, from Old French, ultimately from Latin imperium (empire, command, authority). The -y suffix transforms the Latin root into an English noun.
Shakespeare loved this word—it appears in his plays as a grand, weighty word for imperial power. 'Empery' sounds more majestic than 'empire' and was the preferred term for talking about political domination in the Renaissance.
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