The tender imp was weaned.
Fairfax.
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.
Beattie.
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.]
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. impfn,
impitn, G. impfen. See Imp, n.] 1. To graft; to insert as a scion.
[Obs.] Rom. of R.
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.
Shak.
Who lazily imp their wings with other men's plumes.
Fuller.
Here no frail Muse shall imp her crippled wing.
Holmes.
Help, ye tart satirists, to imp my rage With all the scorpions that
should whip this age.
Cleveland.
Im*pa"ca*ble (?), a. [L. pref. im- not + pacare to quiet. See Pacate.]
Not to be appeased or quieted. [Obs.] Spenser. -- Im*pa"ca*bly, adv.
Im*pack"ment (?), n. [Pref. im- in + pack.] The state of being closely
surrounded, crowded, or pressed, as by ice. [R.] Kane.
Im*pact" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Impacted; p. pr. & vb. n. Impacting.]
[L. impactus, p. p. of impingere to push, strike against. See Impinge.]
To drive close; to press firmly together: to wedge into a place.
Woodward.
Im"pact (?), n. 1. Contact or impression by touch; collision; forcible
contact; force communicated.
The quarrel, by that impact driven.
Southey.
2. (Mech.) The single instantaneous stroke of a body in motion against
another either in motion or at rest.
Im*pact"ed (?), a. Driven together or close.
Impacted fracture (Surg.), a fracture in which the fragments are driven
into each other so as to be immovable.
Im*pac"tion (?), n. [L. impactio a striking : cf. F. impaction.] 1.
(Surg.) The driving of one fragment of bone into another so that the
fragments are not movable upon each other; as, impaction of the skull
or of the hip.
2. An immovable packing; (Med.), a lodgment of something in a strait or
passage of the body; as, impaction of the fetal head in the strait of
the pelvis; impaction of food or feces in the intestines of man or
beast.
Im*paint" (?), v. t. To paint; to adorn with colors. [R.] "To impaint
his cause." Shak.
Im*pair" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Impaired (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Impairing.] [Written also empair.] [OE. empeiren, enpeiren, OF.
empeirier, empirier, F. empirer, LL. impejorare; L. pref. im- in +
pejorare to make worse, fr. pejor worse. Cf. Appair.] To make worse; to
diminish in quantity, value, excellence, or strength; to deteriorate;
as, to impair health, character, the mind, value.
Time sensibly all things impairs.
Roscommon.
In years he seemed, but not impaired by years.
Pope.
Syn. -- To diminish; decrease; injure; weaken; enfeeble; debilitate;
reduce; debase; deteriorate.
Im*pair", v. t. To grow worse; to deteriorate. Milton.
Im"pair (?), a. [F. impair uneven, L. impar; im- not + par equal.] Not
fit or appropriate. [Obs.]