<B>impressibility, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the quality of being impressible; impressionability. </DL>
<A NAME="impressible">
<B>impressible, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be impressed; impressionable. noun <B>impressibleness.</B> adv. <B>impressibly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="impression">
<B>impression, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Figurative.) <DD><B> a. </B>an effect produced on a person. <BR> <I>Ex. Punishment seemed to make little impression on the child.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>an effect produced by any operation or activity. <BR> <I>Ex. The rain made little impression on the dry fields.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) an idea; notion. <BR> <I>Ex. I have a vague impression that I left the house door unlocked.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>something made by pressure, such as a mark, stamp, or print. <BR> <I>Ex. The thief had left an impression of his foot in the garden.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>the act of impressing. <DD><B> 5. </B>the state of being impressed. <DD><B> 6. </B>(Dentistry.) a mold of the teeth and the surrounding gums. <DD><B> 7. </B>(Printing.) <DD><B> a. </B>the total number of copies of a book made at one time. <DD><B> b. </B>a printed copy. <DD><B> c. </B>the process or result of printing paper from type, plates, etc. <DD><B> 8. </B>(Psychology.) the immediate neural results of stimulation of the senses. <DD><B> 9. </B>an imitation of a famous person; impersonation. <BR> <I>Ex. The comedian entertained us with his impressions of political figures.</I> </DL>
<B>impressionable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> sensitive to impressions; easily impressed or influenced. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) Children are more impressionable than adults.</I> noun <B>impressionableness.</B> adv. <B>impressionably.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="impressional">
<B>impressional, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or having to do with an impression or impressions. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=impressionable.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="impressionism">
<B>impressionism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a style of painting that gives the impression made by the subject on the artist without much attention to details. Impressionism was developed by French painters of the late 1800's. <DD><B> 2. </B>a style of literature characterized by the creation of general impressions and moods rather than realistic detail. <DD><B> 3. </B>a style of music characterized by the use of unusual and rich harmonies, tonal qualities, and other effects, to suggest the composer's impressions, as of a scene or an emotion. </DL>
<A NAME="impressionist">
<B>impressionist, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>an artist, writer, or composer who uses impressionism. <BR> <I>Ex. The main strength of the impressionists, both foreign and domestic, was color (Time).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>an entertainer who does impersonations. <BR> <I>Ex. She got her first job--as a nightclub singer and impressionist in Canada (Time).</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>=impressionistic.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="impressionistic">
<B>impressionistic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of impressionism or impressionists. <DD><B> 2. </B>giving only a general or hasty impression. <BR> <I>Ex. He is also a casual and somewhat impressionistic thinker (Wall Street Journal).</I> adv. <B>impressionistically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="impressive">
<B>impressive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> able to impress the mind, feelings, or conscience; able to excite deep feelings. <BR> <I>Ex. an impressive sermon, an impressive storm, an impressive ceremony.</I> (SYN) imposing, commanding, striking. adv. <B>impressively.</B> noun <B>impressiveness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="impressment">
<B>impressment, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the act or practice of impressing property for public use or men to serve in the armed forces. </DL>
<B>imprest</B> (1), verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) a past tense and a past participle of <B>impress.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="imprest">
<B>imprest</B> (2), noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>an advance or loan of money, especially for use in carrying out some public business. <DD><B> 2. </B>(in accounting) an advance or loan of money to be drawn upon as needed but allowed to build up during inactive periods, as in a petty cash account. <DD><B> 3. </B>(British.) (formerly) an advance payment made to a soldier or sailor at enlistment. <DD><I>adj. </I> lent; advanced. </DL>
<A NAME="imprimatur">
<B>imprimatur, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an official license to print or publish a book or other work, now usually used to refer to works sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative:) <BR> <I>Ex. Therefore, his calculations and conclusions bear no imprimatur of the Atomic Energy Commission (Bulletin of Atomic Scientists).</I> (SYN) sanction, approval. </DL>
<A NAME="imprimis">
<B>imprimis, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) in the first place; first. </DL>
<A NAME="imprint">
<B>imprint, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a mark made by pressure; print. <BR> <I>Ex. Your foot made an imprint in the sand.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>an impression; mark. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) Suffering left its imprint on her face.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the printer's or publisher's name, with the place and date of publication, on the title page or at the end of a book. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to mark by pressing or stamping; print. <BR> <I>Ex. to imprint a postmark on an envelope, to imprint a letter with a postmark.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to put by pressing. <BR> <I>Ex. She imprinted a kiss on his lips.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) to fix firmly in the mind. <BR> <I>Ex. His boyhood home was imprinted in his memory.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Obsolete.) to print (letters, words, or figures) from type. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Biology, Psychology.) (of newborn animals) to fix the affections and interests upon (another animal, or object identified as, or in place of, the parent). <BR> <I>Ex. In many cases, animals that become imprinted toward animals of another species never learn to recognize members of their own species (Wilbert J. McKeachie).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> (Biology, Psychology.) to be or become the object of the affections and interests of an animal. <BR> <I>Ex. Goats and sheep apparently imprint on their own young in the first few moments after birth (George W. Barlow).</I> noun <B>imprinter.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="imprintability">
<B>imprintability, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the quality of being imprintable. <BR> <I>Ex. ... the imprintability of ducklings rapidly declines soon after they are 16 hours old (Scientific American).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="imprintable">
<B>imprintable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be imprinted, especially on the mind or memory. </DL>
<A NAME="imprison">
<B>imprison, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to put in prison; keep in prison. <BR> <I>Ex. to imprison a criminal in a cell for many months.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative:) <BR> <I>Ex. He imprisoned hisanger before the insults of the court.</I> (SYN) confine, restrain. </DL>
<A NAME="imprisonable">
<B>imprisonable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> deserving or involving imprisonment. <BR> <I>Ex. an imprisonable offense.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="imprisonment">
<B>imprisonment, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a putting or keeping in prison. <BR> <I>Ex. The imprisonment of her son caused great sorrow.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the fact or condition of being put or kept in prison. <BR> <I>Ex. At the start of his imprisonment he was just 20 years old.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) close confinement; restraint. </DL>
<A NAME="improbability">
<B>improbability, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ties.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the quality or condition of being improbable; unlikelihood. <DD><B> 2. </B>something improbable. </DL>
<A NAME="improbable">
<B>improbable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> not probable; not likely to happen; not likely to be true; unlikely. <BR> <I>Ex. The boy told an improbable story of seeing a ghost in the haunted house. If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction (Shakespeare).</I> noun <B>improbableness.</B> adv. <B>improbably.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="improbity">
<B>improbity, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> lack of integrity; dishonesty; wickedness. </DL>
<A NAME="impromptu">
<B>impromptu, </B>adverb, adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adv. </I> without previous thought or preparation; offhand. <BR> <I>Ex. a speech made impromptu.</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> made or done without previous thought or preparation; improvised; makeshift. <BR> <I>Ex. an impromptu party. He had not expected to make a speech, but he gave an impromptu talk when he was asked to say a few words.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>something so made or done; improvisation. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Music.) a composition, characteristic of the 1800's, that gives the impression of improvisation, but follows a set form and style. </DL>
<A NAME="improper">
<B>improper, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>not in accordance with accepted standards; irregular; wrong; not correct. <BR> <I>Ex. He learned in school that "We ain't" is improper speech.</I> (SYN) incorrect. <DD><B> 2. </B>not suitable; inappropriate; ill-adapted. <BR> <I>Ex. That bright dress is improper for a funeral.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>not decent; unbecoming; unseemly. <BR> <I>Ex. I am too old to be improper (Horace Walpole).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>showing bad judgment. adv. <B>improperly.</B> noun <B>improperness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="improperfraction">
<B>improper fraction,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a fraction equal to or greater than 1. (Examples:) 3/2, 4/3, 27/4, 8/5, 21/12, and 8/8. </DL>
<A NAME="impropriate">
<B>impropriate, </B>adjective, verb, <B>-ated,</B> <B>-ating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> (of church property, tithes, or the like) placed in lay hands. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to put (church property, tithes, or the like) in lay hands. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) to appropriate. noun <B>impropriation.</B> noun <B>impropriator.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="impropriety">
<B>impropriety, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ties.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a lack of propriety; quality of being improper. <DD><B> 2. </B>improper conduct. <DD><B> 3. </B>an improper act, expression, etc.. <BR> <I>Ex. Using "learn" to mean "teach" is an impropriety. Every language has likewise its improprieties and absurdities (Samuel Johnson).</I> </DL>
