"I" Word Origins

imply

Latin

From Old French emplier, from Latin implicare ("to infold, involve"). A doublet of employ and implicate.

impolite

Latin

From Latin impolitus, formed from im- ("not") + polite.

import

Latin

From Latin importo ("bring in from abroad"), from in- ("into") + porto ("to carry").

importance

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin importantia, related to import ("to be important").

importancy

Origin

From Medieval Latin importantia.

important

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin importans, related to import ("to be important").

importantly

Origin

From important + -ly.

importer

Origin

From import + -er.

importune

Origin

From Middle French importuner and its etymon Medieval Latin importūnor (“to make oneself troublesome”), from Latin importūnus (“unfit, troublesome”), originally "having no harbor".

impose

Latin

From Old French imposer, modelled on Latin imponere ("to place upon"), from in- + pono ("to place").

imposition

Latin

From Latin impositio, related to impose.

impossibility

Latin

From Latin impossibilitas, from im- + possibility.

impossible

Middle English

From Middle English impossible, from im- + possible.

impossibly

Origin

From impossible + the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

imposter

Latin

From Latin impostor, a contraction of impositor 'one who imposes upon others', which reached English through French.

impostor

Latin

From Middle French imposteur, ultimately from Latin impositor, "one who imposes" — related to the verb impose.

imposture

Origin

From Middle French imposture, from Late Latin impostura, Latin impostus.

impotence

Latin

From Middle French impotence, from Latin impotentia, "lack of power."

impotent

Latin

From Old French impotent, from Latin impotens, from in- ("not") + potens ("powerful").

impound

Origin

From im- + pound (an enclosure for stray animals) — literally "to shut up in a pound."

impoverish

Origin

From Middle English empoverishen, impoverishen, empoverischen, enpoverisshen, Anglo-Norman empoveriss-, from Old French empoverir, from em- + povre, from Latin pauper (“poor”) (English poor).

impractical

Origin

From im- ("not") + practical.

imprecate

Origin

Borrowed from Latin imprecātus, perfect active participle of imprecor (“to invoke (good or evil) upon, pray to, call upon”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from in- (“upon”) + precor (“to pray”).

impregnable

Old French

From Old French imprenable, "impossible to capture," from im- + prenable ("takable," from prendre, "to take"). The "g" was added later by analogy with words like reign and deign.

impregnant

Origin

From im- (“not”) + pregnant.

impregnate

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin impraegnatus, past participle of impraegno, built from in- + praegnans ("pregnant").

impregnation

Origin

From Middle English impregnacioun, from Old French impregnacion, in turn from Late Latin impregnatio.

impresario

Italian

Borrowed from Italian impresario, from impresa ("undertaking, enterprise").

impress

Latin

From Middle English impressen, from Latin imprimere ("to press into or upon"), from in- + premere ("to press").

impression

Latin

From Old French impression, from Latin impressio, from imprimere ("to press into") — related to impress.

impressionable

French

From French impressionnable, from impression + -able.

impressionism

French

From French impressionnisme, named (originally mockingly) after Monet's painting "Impression, Sunrise."

impressionist

French

Borrowed from French impressionniste.

impressive

Origin

From impress + the adjective-forming suffix -ive.

impreventable

Origin

From im- + preventable.

imprimery

Origin

From French imprimerie, from imprimer (“to print, to imprint”) + -erie (“-ery”), from im- (“in-”) + primer (“to print”). Equivalent to imprint + -ery.

imprint

Latin

From Old French empreinte, from empreindre, from Latin imprimere ("to press into").

imprinted

Origin

From imprint + the adjective-forming suffix -ed.

imprison

Old French

From Old French emprisonner, from em- + prison.

imprisonment

Anglo-Norman

From Anglo-Norman emprisonement; see imprison + -ment.

improbable

Latin

From Latin improbabilis, from im- ("not") + probabilis ("probable").

improbation

Origin

Latin improbatio.

impromptu

Latin

Borrowed from French impromptu, ultimately from Latin in promptu ("in readiness").

improper

Latin

From Middle French impropre, from Latin improprius, from in- + proprius ("proper, one's own").

improperly

Origin

From improper + -ly.

improperness

Origin

From improper + -ness.

impropriate

Origin

From Medieval Latin impropriātus, past participle of impropriāre (“to take as one's own, appropriate”), from Latin in- + proprius (“one's own”).

impropriety

Latin

From French impropriété, from Latin improprietas; equivalent to improper + -ty.