empress

noun

1. The female monarch (ruler) of an empire.

   “Sit downe by her: adorned with my Crowne, As if thou wert the Empreſſe of the world.”

2. The wife or widow of an emperor or equated ruler.

   “Empress, imperial regent, and even emperor herself (r. 797–802), Irene was an important and powerful figure at the Byzantine court in the late eighth and early ninth century.”

3. The third trump or major arcana card of most tarot decks.
4. (rare)A female chimpanzee.
5. A deciduous tree, Paulownia tomentosa
6. A fairy chess piece which combines the moves of the rook and the knight.
7. The title of an empress.

   “The opening through which French taste jumped was Peter the Great’s “window on Europe,” the new Russian capital he built on the Neva River in 1703 to give Russians greater proximity to European culture, and to showcase Russia’s wealth and burgeoning cultural institutions. It took the better part of a century and Empress Catherine the Great -- wife of Peter’s grandson -- to make it happen.”

   “Japan’s Empress Michiko, left, being welcomed by Manmohan Singh, prime minister of India, in New Delhi. Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are in India on a state visit to commemorate the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.”

   “Japan's strict succession rules dictate that only men can inherit the throne, with a government advisory panel backing the tradition in a July vote despite public opinion in favour of allowing Empresses.”

verb

1. (form-of, rare)Rare form of impress.

name

1. A village in Alberta, Canada.