Kaiser
nounUK /ˈkaɪzə(ɹ)/ · US /ˈkaɪzɚ/
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English kayser, from Old High German keisar (“emperor”), from Proto-West Germanic *kaisar, from Proto-Germanic *kaisaraz, from Latin Caesar. The native Old English descendant of that Proto-Germanic word was cāser (“emperor”), but the shape of Middle English kayser (“emperor”) (versus the expected *caser, *coser) suggests it was borrowed from another Germanic language rather than inherited, and the modern English spelling and sense seem to be modified after modern German rather than a direct continuation of Middle English. Compare tsar, which was borrowed from Slavic. Doublet of Caesar and tsar.
An emperor of a German-speaking country, particularly the Holy Roman Empire (962–1806), the Austrian Empire/Austria-Hungary (1806–1918), or the German Empire (1871–1918) — often specifically Wilhelm II.
Broadly Any emperor or autocrat, or one who attempts to be one.
- And Black Ivo is a veritable Kaiser.1915, T. P.'s Weekly - Volume 26, page 444:
- […] that President Poincare, the first servant of France, is still Louis XIV, the former War-Lord, the Kaiser of France […]1916, The Provocation of France, page 147:
2 more examples
- Senator Sherman vigorously assailed the Shantung agreement, declaring that it would make the Mikado a veritable Kaiser of the Far East and alienate the sympathies of the 400,000,000 Chinese – from the people of the United States.1919, Far Eastern Political Science Review - Volume 1, page 49:
- […] which, from the banking point of view, the National City Bank is a veritable kaiser.1929, Through the Leaves, page 489:
A Kaiser roll: a round, pinwheel-shaped roll.
- Derived terms
- Kaiser Wilhelm II Land
- Related terms
- Kaiser-Wilhelmsland