imp

imp
imp (n.) O.E. impe, impa "young shoot, graft," from impian "to graft," probably an early West Germanic borrowing from V.L. *imptus, from L.L. impotus "implanted," from Gk. emphytos, verbal adjective formed from emphyein "implant," from em- "in" + phyein "to plant" (see PHYSIC (Cf. physic)). Sense of "child, offspring" (late 14c.) came from transfer of word from plants to people, with notion of "newness" preserved. Modern meaning "little devil" (1580s) is from common use in pejorative phrases like imp of Satan.
Suche appereth as aungelles, but in very dede they be ymps of serpentes. ["The Pilgrimage of Perfection," 1526]

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?
Synonyms:
, , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Imp — Imp, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Imped}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Imping}.] [AS. impian to imp, ingraft, plant; akin to Dan. ympe, Sw. ympa, OHG. impf[=o]n, impit[=o]n, G. impfen. See {Imp}, n.] 1. To graft; to insert as a scion. [Obs.] Rom. of R. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • imp — imp·ing; imp·ish; imp·son·ite; pal·imp·ses·tic; imp; pal·imp·sest; imp·ish·ly; imp·ish·ness; …   English syllables

  • Imp — ([i^]mp), n. [OE. imp a graft, AS. impa; akin to Dan. ympe, Sw. ymp, prob. fr. LL. impotus, Gr. ? engrafted, innate, fr. ? to implant; ? in + ? to produce; akin to E. be. See 1st {In }, {Be}.] 1. A shoot; a scion; a bud; a slip; a graft. [Obs.]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • IMP — ist die Abkürzung für: IMP (Kompression), ein Kompressionsverfahren Chrysler IMP, ein PKW Modell der 1920er und 1930er Jahre, siehe Chrysler Imperial Illinois Malicious Processor, ein Proof of Concept OpenSPARC CPU Design, das eine Backdoor… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • IMP — [Abk. für Inosin 5´ monophosphat]: ↑ Inosinphosphat. * * * Ịmp, der; s, [mhd. imp, ↑ Imme] (bayr.): Biene. * * * IMP,   Abk. für Implikation …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Imp — Imp: В Doom гуманоид тёмно коричневого цвета, неопределённого пола, с клыками и когтями больших размеров. Умеет стрелять шаровыми молниями из ладоней. Медлителен и маложивуч. В Dungeon Keeper малорослый шустрый карлик. Имеет большие глаза, как… …   Википедия

  • imp — /imp/, n. 1. a little devil or demon; an evil spirit. 2. a mischievous child. 3. Archaic. a scion or offshoot of a plant or tree. 4. Archaic. an offspring. v.t. 5. Falconry. a. to graft (feathers) into a wing. b. to furnish (a wing, tail, etc.)… …   Universalium

  • imp. — imp. 〈Abk. für lat.〉 imprimatur * * * imp. = imprimatur …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Imp. — Imp. 〈Abk. für lat.〉 Imperator * * * imp. = imprimatur …   Universal-Lexikon

  • imp — [ımp] n [: Old English; Origin: impa] 1.) a child who behaves badly, but in a way that is funny 2.) a small creature in stories who has magic powers and behaves very badly →↑impish …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • imp — [ ımp ] noun count 1. ) an imaginary creature that looks like a small child and likes to have fun by behaving badly 2. ) a child who behaves badly in a way that adults think is funny …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”