Meaning

noun a small tufted beard worn by Emperor Napoleon III

noun a piece of luggage carried on top of a coach

adjective relating to or associated with an empire

originFrom Middle English imperial, from Old French imperial, from Latin imperiālis (“of the empire or emperor, imperial”), from imperium (“empire, imperial government”) + -ālis, from imperō (“command, order”), from im- (“form of in”) + parō (“prepare, arrange; intend”). Displaced Old English cāserlīċ.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0