Free TranslationFree Translation
Synonyms, antonyms, pronunciation

  Home 		English Dictionary      examples: 'day', 'get rid of', 'New York Bay'




Imp   /ɪmp/   Listen
noun
Imp  n.  
1.
A shoot; a scion; a bud; a slip; a graft. (Obs.)
2.
An offspring; progeny; child; scion. (Obs.) "The tender imp was weaned."
3.
A young or inferior devil; a little, malignant spirit; a puny demon; a contemptible evil worker. "To mingle in the clamorous fray Of squabbling imps."
4.
Something added to, or united with, another, to lengthen it out or repair it, as, an addition to a beehive; a feather inserted in a broken wing of a bird; a length of twisted hair in a fishing line. (Obs. or Prov. Eng.)


verb
Imp  v. t.  (past & past part. imped; pres. part. imping)  
1.
To graft; to insert as a scion. (Obs.)
2.
(Falconry) 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) "Imp out our drooping country's broken wing." "Who lazily imp their wings with other men's plumes." "Here no frail Muse shall imp her crippled wing." "Help, ye tart satirists, to imp my rage With all the scorpions that should whip this age."





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


Advanced search
     Find words:
Starting with
Ending with
Containing
Matching a pattern  

Synonyms
Antonyms
Quotes
Words linked to  

only single words


Share |




"Imp" Quotes from Famous Books



... his part, seemed almost fascinated by her gaze. He rose as she bowed, and, for a moment, I thought that he was going over to speak to her, as if drawn by that intangible attraction which Poe has so cleverly expressed in his "Imp of the Perverse." For, clearly, one who talked as Whitney had just been talking would have to be on his guard with that woman. Instead, however, he returned her nod and stood still, while Kennedy bowed at a distance and signalled to ...
— The Gold of the Gods • Arthur B. Reeve
... that there's any trouble with servants and then—oh, my! You see Aunt Maria is not the same as other people because she loves every one dearly, and looks on the servants as part of the family. I expect she loves that black imp Seth, for all his faults, and that's what makes her ...
— The Ghost Girl • H. De Vere Stacpoole
... background no art could reproduce, no stage manager prodigal of expense. If on earth there ever was a hell, that tiny frontier room with the smoke-blackened ceiling and the single kerosene lamp sputtering on the wall, was the place. Not an imp thereof, but Satan himself, stood in the misshapen boots of Cowman Pete; doubly vicious in the aftermath of a debauch, Pete with the lust of blood in his veins. And against him, scant hope to those who watched, was a man; tall, but not heavy, smooth-cheeked ...
— Where the Trail Divides • Will Lillibridge
... feast this watching the pleasures of others more favoured, though Guys did not waste the fruits of his observation. At sixty-five he began to go down-hill. His habits had never been those of a prudent citizen, and as his earning powers grew less some imp of the perverse entered his all too solitary life. With this change of habits came a change of theme. Henceforth he drew filles, the outcasts, the scamps and convicts and the poor wretches of the night. He is now a forerunner of Toulouse-Lautrec and an entire school. This side of his career ...
— Promenades of an Impressionist • James Huneker
... IMP. See what a good fellow he is! Keeps calling on God. Wait a bit, friend,—you'll be calling on the Devil before long! I'll just take away his chunk. He'll miss it before long, and will begin to hunt for it. He'll be hungry, and then he'll swear ...
— The First Distiller • Leo Tolstoy


More quotes...


Copyright © 2025 e-Free Translation.com