imperial

Everyday

1. Imperial means to do with an empire or an emperor, as in «the imperial palace». tree →
2. Imperial units are the old British system of measures, such as inches, feet, miles, pints, pounds and stones. tree →
3. (formal) Imperial can mean grand and commanding, like a powerful ruler. tree →

In the lessons

In maths lessons, pupils convert between imperial and metric units: 1 inch is about 2.5 cm, 1 mile is about 1.6 km, 1 pint is about 568 ml in the UK. In everyday UK life, road signs show miles and people give height in feet and weight in stones; the US also uses its own customary units much like imperial. In history, imperial means linked to empires like the Roman or British Empire. Phrases: «imperial units», «imperial system», «Imperial Rome», «imperial palace».

Examples

• The British still use imperial miles on road signs. tree →
• Convert 6 feet from imperial to metric. tree →
• The emperor lived in the imperial palace. tree →
• Imperial Rome ruled a huge area. tree →
• A pint is an imperial unit. tree →
• My grandad measures everything in inches, the imperial way. tree →
• The imperial army marched across the desert. tree →
• The Imperial messenger insisted, saying it was the Emperor’s order. tree →

Note

Adjective. Opposite in measures: metric. Maths note: 12 inches = 1 foot; 3 feet = 1 yard; 1760 yards = 1 mile; 16 ounces = 1 pound; 14 pounds = 1 stone; 8 pints = 1 gallon. A US pint (about 473 ml) is smaller than a UK imperial pint (about 568 ml). Do not confuse with «impartial» (fair, not taking sides).