imperial decree
1
8.4
- noun
- Formal
- In the seventh year of the reign of Augustus Caesar... ...an imperial decree ordered every Judean... ...each to return to his place of birth... ...to be counted and taxed.
Examples
-
An imperial decree issued in 1079 offers a glimpse of the severe penalty for violation: "If dealers and mill owners dare to make private flour transactions, they will be flogged a hundred times as punishment."
Academic text (2002) -
For a while, it played by the rules of the Mughal Empire and its intricate system of economic control based on various imperial decrees and permissions.
Blog text (32) -
Our warriors couldn't free Arrakis from the Harkonnens, but one day, by Imperial decree, they were gone.
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The lawyers of Beirut proved well-equipped to interpret imperial decrees and set codes of justice for the Byzantines.
Academic text (2011) -
The imperial decree for the dissolution of the marriage between the Emperor Napoleon and the Empress Joséphine.
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Whether by prewar "imperial decree" or postwar "democratic processes," the state has ensured that some type of legitimacy has accompanied the development of its educational structures.
Academic text (1998) -
In ancient Rome, an imperial decree mandated that all citizens participate in the census.
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The emperor's imperial decree established new laws to improve trade between provinces.
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After the revolution, the new ruler issued an imperial decree to grant freedom to the oppressed citizens.
Synonyms
∞
3.0
An instruction from someone in power that must be followed
128
6.1
An official instruction from a government or organization
59
5.5
An official public announcement by a government or leader that tells people something important
34
8.5
An official order that a government or person in power gives
27
7.2
An official order from a person or government in power that people must follow
6
7.7
A clear order that someone in charge gives, like a teacher or parent
A written official order from a ruler, often in the Ottoman Empire
An official rule made by a ruler or council
How Authoritative
- Formal
1
8.4
- Formal
80
5.7
902
1.3
455
1.2
∞
1.0
759
1.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an official order issued by an emperor' is directly and compositionally derived from 'imperial' (pertaining to an emperor) + 'decree' (a formal order). This straightforward modifier+noun construction is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the phrase.
Etymology
Imperial decree comes from the image of an imperial ruler writing a decree, sealing it, and sending messengers so everyone must follow it. That's why imperial decree means an 'official order' from the emperor.