imp
/ɪmp/ verb, noun
Forms imps imping imped
- verb (obsolete) To engraft or plant (a plant or part of one, a sapling, etc.).
- verb (figuratively, archaic) To graft or implant (something other than a plant); to fix or set (something) in.
- verb (falconry, veterinary medicine) 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.
- verb (figuratively, from sense 3) To provide (someone or something) with wings, hence enabling them or it to soar.
- verb To add to or unite an object with (something) to lengthen the latter out or repair it; to eke out, enlarge, strengthen.
- noun (chiefly fiction and mythology) 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).
- noun (often humorous) A mischievous child.
- noun A baby Tasmanian devil.
- noun (UK, colloquial) A supporter (or less commonly, a player) of the Lincoln City Football Club.
- noun A young shoot of a plant, a tree, etc.; a sapling; also, a part of a plant used for grafting; a graft.
- noun An offspring or scion, especially of a noble family; (generally) a (usually male) child; a (young) man.
- noun (UK, dialectal) 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).
- noun (video games, slang) Synonym of god (“person who owns and runs a multi-user dungeon”).
Synonyms
brat little dickens scamp urchin god elf hob gremlin pixie pixy brownie monkey rascal rapscallion scalawag scallywag
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).
From Middle English impe, ympe (“tree branch; shoot, sprig; graft, scion; young tree, sapling, seedling; tree”) [and other forms], from Old English impa, impe (“shoot, sprig; graft, scion; young tree, sapling, seedling”), from impian, ġeimpian (“to graft”) (see etymology 1).
From implementer.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A shoot; a scion; a bud; a slip; a graft. [Obs.] Chaucer.
- noun An offspring; progeny; child; scion. [Obs.]
- verb To graft; to insert as a scion. [Obs.] Rom. of R.
- verb To graft with new feathers, as a wing; to splice a broken feather. Hence, Fig.: To repair; to extend; to increase; to strengthen to equip. [Archaic]
Etymology [OE. imp a graft, AS. impa; akin to Dan. ympe, Sw. ymp, prob. fr. LL. impotus, Gr. be. See 1st In-, Be.]
Etymology [AS. impian to imp, ingraft, plant; akin to Dan. ympe, Sw. ympa, OHG. impfon, impiton, G. impfen. See Imp, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “imp”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details