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imp

verb
/ɪmp/US

Etymology

From Middle English impen, ympen (“to plant; (figuratively) to bury; to graft; to add to, insert, put into, set in; to mend (a falcon’s feather) by attaching a new feather on to the broken stump”), from Old English impian, ġeimpian (“to graft”), from Proto-West Germanic *impōn (“to graft”), from Vulgar Latin *imputō (“to graft”), from Ancient Greek ἔμφῠτος (émphŭtos, “implanted; planted”), from ἐμφῠ́ω (emphŭ́ō, “to implant”, from ἐν- (en-, prefix meaning ‘in’) + φῠ́ω (phŭ́ō, “to bring forth, produce; to grow”, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to appear; to become; to grow”))) + -τος (-tos).

  1. derived from *bʰuH-✻ — “to appear; to become; to grow”
  2. derived from ἔμφῠτος — “implanted; planted”
  3. derived from *imputō✻ — “to graft”
  4. inherited from *impōn✻ — “to graft”
  5. inherited from impian
  6. inherited from impen

Definitions

  1. To engraft or plant (a plant or part of one, a sapling, etc.).

  2. To graft or implant (something other than a plant)

    To graft or implant (something other than a plant); to fix or set (something) in.

    • That headleſſe tyrants tronke he reard from ground, / And, having ympt the head to it agayne, / Vpon his vſuall beaſt it firmely bound, / And made it ſo to ride, as it aliue was found.

  3. To engraft (a feather) on to a broken feather in a bird's wing or tail to repair it

    To engraft (a feather) on to a broken feather in a bird's wing or tail to repair it; to engraft (feathers) on to a bird, or a bird's wing or tail.

    • I have known feathers so imped that the eye could not discern the place of juncture, and it was difficult even to discover it by passing the thumb-nail down the shaft of the imped feather.
    • Bird rehabilitators borrow a trick from falconry with the age-old process of imping flight feathers on to a damaged bird.
  4. ›+ 13 more definitions

    1. To provide (someone or something) with wings, hence enabling them or it to soar.

      • With thee / Let me combine, / And feel this day thy victorie: / For, if I imp my wing on thine, / Affliction ſhall advance the flight in me.

    2. To add to or unite an object with (something) to lengthen the latter out or repair it

      To add to or unite an object with (something) to lengthen the latter out or repair it; to eke out, enlarge, strengthen.

    3. A small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature, somewhat comparable to…

      A small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature, somewhat comparable to a demon but smaller and less powerful, formerly regarded as the child of the devil or a demon (see sense 3.2).

      • "Yes, there are a great, great many coming after us; at least a score," said the lad.—"Well, that's the troll," said the horse; "he is coming after us with his imps."
      • It was as if there were little imps dancing in my mouth, and every so often, when a situation arose, they'd get together, giggle wickedly, and try to push words out of my open mouth.

    4. A mischievous child.

      • Concourſe, and noiſe, and toil, he ever fled; / Nor cared to mingle in the clamorous fray / Of ſquabbling imps; but to the foreſt ſped, / Or roam'd at large the lonely mountain's head; […]
      • […] I've left my young children to look after themselves, and a more mischievous and troublesome set of young imps doesn't exist, ma'am; […]

    5. A baby Tasmanian devil.

      • When they are upset, their ears blush a furious crimson, resembling red horns and adding to their diabolical image. (Baby devils, packed four to a pouch, are known as imps.)

    6. A supporter (or less commonly, a player) of the Lincoln City Football Club.

    7. A young shoot of a plant, a tree, etc.

      A young shoot of a plant, a tree, etc.; a sapling; also, a part of a plant used for grafting; a graft.

      • Þai sett hem doun al þre / Vnder a fair ympetre, / And wel sone þis fair quene / Fel on slepe opon þe grene.

    8. An offspring or scion, especially of a noble family

      An offspring or scion, especially of a noble family; (generally) a (usually male) child; a (young) man.

      • [B]efore / The tender impe was wained from the teat, / The Princess Maud him tooke, in vertues lore / She brought him vp, […]

    9. Something added to or united with another to lengthen it out or repair it (such as an eke…

      Something added to or united with another to lengthen it out or repair it (such as an eke or small stand on which a beehive is placed, or a length of twisted hair in a fishing line).

    10. Synonym of god (“person who owns and runs a multi-user dungeon”).

    11. Initialism of inosine monophosphate.

    12. Initialism of integral membrane protein.

    13. Initialism of individual meal package.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for imp. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA