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Imp

//ɪmp// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    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). transitive

    ""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.""

  2. 2
    Synonym of god (“person who owns and runs a multi-user dungeon”). slang, transitive
  3. 3
    Initialism of inosine monophosphate. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
  4. 4
    (folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous wordnet
  5. 5
    A mischievous child. broadly, humorous, often, transitive

    "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; […]"

Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    Initialism of integral membrane protein. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
  2. 7
    one who is playfully mischievous wordnet
  3. 8
    A baby Tasmanian devil. broadly, transitive

    "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.)"

  4. 9
    Initialism of individual meal package. Canada, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
  5. 10
    A supporter (or less commonly, a player) of the Lincoln City Football Club. British, broadly, colloquial, transitive
  6. 11
    A young shoot of a plant, a tree, etc.; a sapling; also, a part of a plant used for grafting; a graft. obsolete, transitive

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

  7. 12
    An offspring or scion, especially of a noble family; (generally) a (usually male) child; a (young) man. obsolete, transitive

    "And thou moſt dreaded impe of higheſt Ioue, / Faire Venus ſonne, that with thy cruell dart / At that good knight ſo cunningly didſt rove, / That glorious fire it kindled in his heart, / Lay now thy deadly Heben bow apart, / And with thy mother milde come to my ayde: […]"

  8. 13
    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). British, dialectal, obsolete, transitive
Verb
  1. 1
    To engraft or plant (a plant or part of one, a sapling, etc.). obsolete, transitive
  2. 2
    To graft or implant (something other than a plant); to fix or set (something) in. archaic, figuratively, transitive

    "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. 3
    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. transitive

    "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."

  4. 4
    To provide (someone or something) with wings, hence enabling them or it to soar. broadly, figuratively, transitive

    "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."

  5. 5
    To add to or unite an object with (something) to lengthen the latter out or repair it; to eke out, enlarge, strengthen. broadly, transitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

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).

Etymology 2

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).

Etymology 3

From implementer.

See also for "imp"

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