# Imperial Aramaic

> English word · Proper noun

## Definitions
1. The chronolect of the Aramaic language (mid-8th century–late 4th century BCE), intermediate between Old Aramaic and Middle Aramaic, that was used as a language of public life and administration in the late Neo-Assyrian Empire (from the reign of King Tiglath-Pileser III [r. 745–727 BCE] onward), the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and the Achaemenid Empire, until the latter’s conquest by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE.
2. The Imperial Aramaic of the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE) only.

## Etymology
Designated imperial for the Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, and Achaemenid Empires.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/imperial-aramaic