Kaiser

Meaning

Noun

• An emperor of a German-speaking country, particularly the Holy Roman Empire (962–1806), the Austrian Empire (1806–1918), or the German Empire (1871–1918) — often specifically Wilhelm II.
• Any emperor or autocrat, or one who attempts to be one.
• A Kaiser roll.

Origin

• From German Kaiser ("emperor"), from Proto-West Germanic *kaisar, from Proto-Germanic *kaisaraz. The native Old English descendant of that Proto-Germanic word was cāser, but the shape of Middle English caiser, kaiser suggests it was borrowed from another Germanic language rather than inherited, and the modern English spelling and sense seem to be again borrowed from German rather than inherited from either earlier word.