Im`per*cep`ti*bil"i*ty (?), n. The state or quality of being
imperceptible.
Im`per*cep"ti*ble (?), a. [Pref. im- not + perceptible: cf. F.
imperceptible.] Not perceptible; not to be apprehended or cognized by
the senses; not discernible by the mind; not easily apprehended.
Almost imperceptible to the touch.
Dryden.
Its operation is slow, and in some cases almost imperceptible.
Burke.
-- Im`per*cep"ti*ble*ness, n. -- Im`per*cep"ti*bly, adv.
Their . . . subtilty and imperceptibleness.
Sir M. Hale.
Im`per*cep"tion (?), n. Want of perception.
Im`per*cep"tive (?), a. Unable to perceive.
The imperceptive part of the soul.
Dr. H. More.
Im`per*cip"i*ent (?), a. Not perceiving, or not able to perceive. A.
Baxter.
Im*per`di*bil"i*ty (?), n. The state or quality of being imperdible.
[Obs.] Derham.
Im*per"di*ble (?), a. [Pref. im- not + L. perdere to destroy.] Not
destructible. [Obs.] -- Im*per"di*bly, adv. [Obs.]
Im*per"fect (?), a. [L. imperfectus: pref. im- not + perfectus perfect:
cf. F imparfait, whence OE. imparfit. See Perfect.] 1. Not perfect; not
complete in all its parts; wanting a part; deective; deficient.
Something he left imperfect in the state.
Shak.
Why, then, your other senses grow imperfect.
Shak.
2. Wanting in some elementary organ that is essential to successful or
normal activity.
He . . . stammered like a child, or an amazed, imperfect person.
Jer. Taylor.
3. Not fulfilling its design; not realizing an ideal; not conformed to
a standard or rule; not satisfying the taste or conscience;
esthetically or morally defective.
Nothing imperfect or deficient left Of all that he created.
Milton.
Then say not man's imperfect, Heaven in fault; Say rather, man's as
perfect as he ought.
Pope.
Imperfect arch, an arch of less than a semicircle; a skew arch. --
Imperfect cadence (Mus.), one not ending with the tonic, but with the
dominant or some other chord; one not giving complete rest; a half
close. -- Imperfect consonances (Mus.), chords like the third and
sixth, whose ratios are less simple than those of the fifth and forth.
-- Imperfect flower (Bot.), a flower wanting either stamens or pistils.
Gray. -- Imperfect interval (Mus.), one a semitone less than perfect;
as, an imperfect fifth. -- Imperfect number (Math.), a number either
greater or less than the sum of its several divisors; in the former
case, it is called also a defective number; in the latter, an abundant
number. -- Imperfect obligations (Law), obligations as of charity or
gratitude, which cannot be enforced by law. -- Imperfect power (Math.),
a number which can not be produced by taking any whole number or vulgar
fraction, as a factor, the number of times indicated by the power;
thus, 9 is a perfect square, but an imperfect cube. -- Imperfect tense
(Gram.), a tense expressing past time and incomplete action.
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Im*per"fect (?), n. (Gram.) The imperfect tense; or the form of a verb
denoting the imperfect tense.