Kaiser

Forms: α. 2–4 caisere, 2–5 caysere, 3–4 kaisere, caiser, 3–6 cayser, 3, 6 caisar, (5 kayssar), 4–6 (9) kayser, 4–6, 9 kaisar, 3–4, 6, 9– kaiser. β. 3 keisere, (Orm. keȝȝsere), kæisere, 3, 7–9 keiser, 4 keyzar, 4–7 (9) keysar, 6–7 keisar, keyser. γ. 6–9 kesar, 6 keaser, 7–8 kæsar, 9 kezar. [Ultimately ad. L. Cæsar CÆSAR, which at an early period passed (perh. through Gr. καῖσαρ) into the Teutonic langs., appearing as Goth. kaisar, OHG. keisar (MHG. keisar, G. kaiser), OS. kêsur, -ar (MDu. keiser, keyser, keser, Du. keizer), OFris. keisar, -er. In OE. cásere and ON. keisari the terminal syllable was assimilated to the -ere, -ari of agent-nouns. OE. cásere normally gave early ME. cāser KASER; the usual ME. forms kaiser, keiser, and later variants, were adopted afresh from other Teutonic languages. Ormin used both kasere, kaserr from OE. and keȝȝsere from ON.

  In 14–15th c. the word was mainly northern, and the ai-form prevailed. About the middle of the 16th c. ei (ey) again became usual, prob. under Dutch or German influence. The mod. form kaiser is directly adopted from G., in which it represents a Bavarian (and Austrian) spelling which supplanted the normal keiser in the 17th c. (see Grimm and Kluge, s.v.).]

  a.  The Emperor: cf. EMPEROR 1 and 2.

  † (a)  The (ancient) Roman Emperor (obs.); (b) The Emperor of the West; the head of the Holy Roman (German) Empire (now Hist.); (c) The Emperor of Austria (since 1804); (d) (Now esp.) The German Emperor (since 1871). The mod. English use in sense b, whence c and d follow, appears to be mainly due to Carlyle.

c. 1160.  Hatton Gosp., Matt. xxii. 21. Aʓyfeð þan caysere þa þing þe þas cayseres synde. Ibid., John xix. 12. Ne ert þu þas caiseres freond.

c. 1200.  Ormin, 3519. Forrþi chæs he to wurrþen mann O þatt Keȝȝseress time.

a. 1225.  Juliana, 67. Maximien þe mihti caisere of rome.

1807.  J. Barlow, Columb., V. 679. The Austria’s keiser and the Russian czar.

1858.  Carlyle, Fredk. Gt., I. V. (1872), I. 43. Kaiser Leopold [I.] … had no end of Wars. Ibid., II. V. I. 70. Barbarossa himself,… greatest of all the Kaisers.

1866.  Spectator, 1 Dec., 1326. It is rumoured that the Kaiser intends to offer the Hungarians the possession of their own army.

1888.  Times, 9 Aug., 13/1. The author’s personal intercourse with the late Kaiser.

1897.  W. T. Stead, in Contemp. Rev., April, 596. The Kaiser’s chief … offence in the eyes of most Englishmen was his telegram of congratulation to President Kruger after the surrender of Dr. Jameson.

  b.  An emperor, as a ruler superior to kings.

  Esp. in king or kaiser, an alliterative phr. common from 13th to 17th c.; in modern use an archaism, chiefly due to Scott.

  α.  a. 1225.  Ancr. R., 138. Hire schuppare … þet is King and Kaiser of heouene.

a. 1300.  [see β].

c. 1300.  Havelok, 1725. Þe beste mete Þat king or cayser wolde ete.

a. 1400[?].  Morte Arth., 1894. Wé hafe cownterede to day,… With kyngez and kayseres.

c. 1440.  York Myst., xvi. 15. Kayssaris in castellis grete kyndynes me kythes.

1513.  Douglas, Æneis, VIII. Prol. 137. Sum [wald be] capytane, sum Caisar, and sum King.

1563.  Googe, Eglogs, etc. (Arb.), 84. Court and Cayser to forsake, And lyue at home.

a. 1618.  Sylvester, Mem. Mortality, xiv. This Life (indeed) is but a Comœdie, Where this, the Kaisar playes; and that, the Clown.

1818.  Scott, Br. Lamm., xxvi. And what signifies ’t … to king, queen, or kaiser? Ibid. (1825), Talism., xi. As high as ever floated the cognizance of king or kaiser.

1843.  Lytton, Last Bar., VIII. i. To ride by the side of king or kaisar.

1882.  ‘Mrs. Riddell,’ Pr. Wales’s Garden-Party, 19. Whether her husband were King or Kaiser,… signified not a pin to the bishop’s daughter.

  β.  c. 1205.  Lay., 7331. Þu þenchest to beon keisere of alle quike monne.

a. 1225.  St. Marher., 4. Icrunet … keiser of kinges.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 3359 (Cott.). Yon es þi keiser [v.rr. kayser, caisere] sal be þin. Ibid. (c. 1375), 9409 (Laud). Wytte and skylle he yaf … Ouyr alle this world to be keyzar.

1546.  J. Heywood, Prov. (1867), 39. Kyng or keyser must haue set them quight.

1620.  Shelton, Quix., III. i. 3. To tell neither King nor Keisar, nor any earthly Man.

1640.  Brome, Antipodes, II. v. Wks. 1873, III. 265. No degree, from Keyser to the Clowne.

1682.  Mrs. Behn, Round-heads, I. i. Wks. (1716), 396. He is our General, our Protector, our Keiser.

  γ.  1539.  Taverner, Erasm. Prov. (1545), 64. Though he be hym selfe a prynce, a kynge, a kesar.

1567.  Turberv., in Chalmers, Eng. Poets, II. 648/1. He slayes the Keasers and the crowned Kings.

1591.  Spenser, Teares Muses, 570. Hir holie things, Which was the care of Kesars and of Kings.

1647.  H. More, Song of Soul, II. App. civ. Which were erect to the memoriall of Kings, and Kæsars.

1722.  Atterbury, Lett. to Pope, 6 April. As far from Kings and Kæsars as the space will admit of.

1832–4.  De Quincey, Cæsars, Wks. 1862, IX. 7. Modern kings, kesars or emperors.

1876.  Whitby Gloss., s.v., They nowther heed for king nor kezar.

  Hence Kaiserling, a minor emperor; Kaisership, the office of emperor, the rule of the Kaiser.

1852.  Tait’s Mag., XIX. 550/2.

1888.  A. Forbes, in Contemp. Rev., LIV. 622. The ‘weakening’ of Wilhelm’s opposition to the Kaisership.

1892.  Daily News, 27 Feb., 5/2. That party in Germany which does not find the Kaisership a perfect instrument of progress.