napoleon
UK /nəˈpəʊlɪən/ · US /nəˈpoʊli.ən/ noun, proper noun
Forms napoleons
- noun (historical numismatics, slang) The franc germinal: a 20-franc gold coin issued under Napoleon I of France.
- noun (historical numismatics, slang) Other subsequent 20-franc coins, notes, or values.
- noun (usually admiringly derogatory) A person resembling Napoleon Bonaparte, (usually) in having come to dominate an area or sphere of activity through ruthlessness or illegality as well as surpassing ability.
- noun (card games, uncountable) A 19th-century five-card trick-taking game simplified from euchre.
- proper noun Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821), a French military commander and political leader.
- proper noun A male given name from Italian sometimes given in honor of the French emperor.
- proper noun A village in Silesia, Poland.
- proper noun A ghost town in Arkansas.
- proper noun A town in Indiana.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Kentucky.
- proper noun A township and census-designated place therein, in Jackson County, Michigan.
- proper noun An unincorporated community in Mississippi.
Synonyms
louis louis d'or franc germinal custard slice vanilla slice mille-feuille millefeuille Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte Bonaparte Little Corporal nap
Etymology
Borrowed from French Napoléon (“a given name, usually in reference to Napoleon Bonaparte”). In reference to coins, via French napoléon (“(slang) a coin that originally had the appearance of Napoleon's face in the obverse”). In reference to guns and possibly cards, a reference to Napoleon III.
From French Napoléon, from Italian Napoleone, name of an early saint, of uncertain origin; possibly from the Germanic clan name Nibelung. By folk etymology explained as Napoli (“Naples”) + leone (“lion”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [From the Emperor Napoleon 1.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “napoleon”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details