imperator

noun

1. An emperor.

   “But to compensate in some degree for what was then taken away, the custom was introduced of bestowing what was termed Triumphalia Ornamenta, that is, permission to receive the titles bestowed upon, and to appear in public with the robes worn by the imperatores of the commonwealth when they triumphed, and to bequeath to their descendants triumphal statues.”

   “Modern emperors and consuls of the year VIII. are no more the imperatores of ancient Rome, and modern religious organizations are but the phantasms of mediæval corporations.”

   “He said cautiously, "I do not think it right, Imperator."”

   “Given the sudden proliferation of self-portraits on the coins of all the imperatores of this period, many of whom certainly had not received such a privilege, such an unattested grant to Antony need not be assumed.”

2. (formal)The reigning emperor; Male equivalent of Imperatrix

   “He [w:Trajan] was careful to distinguish and reward merit, and raised men of family, and the kindred of former Imperators, into situations of prominence or command.”

   “They were permitted to receive the titles bestowed on the Imperatores of the Republic; to appear in the garb worn by them, a gold embroidered dress (‘toga picta’), and flowered tunic (‘tunica palmeata’), and a crown of laurel.”

   “It is convenient to consider the Imperial dignity as that which originated in the Imperatores of Rome; the Kingship of Italy, symbolized by the iron crown, as a title resting on the subjugation of the Lombards.”

   “The free citizens of Rome become the slaves of an autocratic government. They fall a prey to the unlimited sway of Imperators who again give birth to a Nero and a Caligula.”