Kaiser

Meaning

Noun

1. 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.
2. (broadly) Any emperor or autocrat, or one who attempts to be one.
3. A Kaiser roll: a round, pinwheel-shaped roll.

Name

A surname.

Synonyms

Caesar

emperor

Translations

Kaiser

cáiser

Kaiser

αυτοκράτορας

αυτωκράτωρ

κάιζερ

empereur

kaiser

Kaiser

Kaiser

كايزر، ميزوري

káiser

قِيصَر

kàiser

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkaɪzə(ɹ)/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: kayser

In summary

Inherited from Middle English kayser, from Old High German keisar (“emperor”), from Proto-West Germanic *kaisar, from Proto-Germanic *kaisaraz. 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.