Emily Dickinson Lexicon

IM-PE'RI-OUS, a. [L. imperiosus; It. and Sp. imperioso; Fr. imperieux. See Imperial.]

1. Commanding; dictatorial; haughty; arrogant; overbearing; domineering; as, an imperious tyrant; an imperious dictator; an imperious man; an imperious temper. More. Shak.
2. Commanding; indicating an imperious temper; authoritative; as, imperious words. Locke.
3. Powerful; overbearing; not to be opposed by obstacles; as, a man of a vast and imperious mind. Tillotson.
4. Commanding; urgent; pressing; as, imperious love; imperious circumstances; imperious appetite. Dryden. S. S. Smith.
5. Authoritative; commanding with rightful authority. The commandment high and imperious in its claims. D. A. Clark.

IM-PE'RI-OUS-LY, adv.

1. With arrogance of command; with a haughty air of authority; in a domineering manner. South.
2. With urgency or force not to be opposed.

IM-PE'RI-OUS-NESS, n.

1. Authority; air of command. South
2. Arrogance of command; haughtiness. Imperiousness and severity is an ill way of treating men who have reason to guide them. Locke

IM-PER'ISH-A-BLE, a. [Fr. imperissable; in and perish.]

Not subject to decay; not liable to perish; indestructible; enduring permanently; as, an imperishable monument; imperishable renown. Elegant discourses on virtue – will not supply the consolations of imperishable hope.

IM-PER'ISH-A-BLE-NESS, n.

The quality of being imperishable.

IM-PER'ISH-A-BLY, adv.

So as not to be liable to decay.

IMPERIUM-IN-IMPERIO, n. [Imperium in imperio. L.]

Government within a government.

IM-PER'MA-NENCE, n.

Want of permanence or continued duration. W. Mountague

IM-PERM'A-NENT, a. [in and permanent.]

Not permanent; not enduring. Gregory

IM-PER-ME-A-BIL'I-TY, n.

The quality of being impermeable by a fluid. Cavallo. Asiat. Res.

IM-PER'ME-A-BLE, a. [L. in and permeo; per and meo, to pass.]

Not to be passed through the pores by a fluid. Elastic gum is impermeable to water.

IM-PER'ME-A-BLE-NESS, n.

State of being impermeable

IM-PER'ME-A-BLY, adv.

In an impermeable manner.

IM-PER-SCRU'TA-BLE, a.

That can not be searched out.

IM-PER-SCRU'TA-BLE-NESS, n.

State of not being capable of scrutiny.

IM-PER'SON-AL, a. [Fr. impersonnel; L. impersonalis; in and personalis, from persona. See Person.]

In grammar, an impersonal verb is one which is not employed with the first and second persons, I and thou or you, we and ye, for nominatives, and which has no variation of ending to express them, but is used only with the termination of the third person singular, with it for a nominative in English, and without a nominative in Latin; as, it rains; it becomes us to be modest; L. tædet; libet; pugnatur.

IM-PER-SON-AL'I-TY, n.

Indistinction of personality. Draper

IM-PER'SON-AL-LY, adv.

In the manner of an impersonal verb.

IM-PER'SON-ATE, v.t.

To personify. Warton.

IM-PER'SON-A-TED, a.

Made persons of. [See Personated.] Warton.

IM-PER-SON-A'TION, n.

The act of personifying, or representing things without life as persons. West. Rev.

IM-PER-SPI-CU'I-TY, n.

Want of perspicuity, or clearness to the mind.

IM-PER-SPIC'U-OUS, a. [in and perspicuous.]

Not perspicuous; not clear; obscure. Bailey.

IM-PER-SUA'SI-BLE, a. [L. in and persuasibilis. See Persuade.]

Not to be moved by persuasion; not yielding to arguments. Decay of Piety.

IM-PER'TI-NENCE, or IM-PER'TI-NEN-CY, n. [Fr. impertinence, from L. impertinens; in and pertinens, pertineo, to pertain; per and teneo, to hold.]

1. That which is not pertinent; that which does not belong to the subject in hand; that which is of no weight. Bacon.
2. The state of not being pertinent.
3. Folly; rambling thought. [Little used.] Shak.
4. Rudeness; improper intrusion; interference by word or conduct which is not consistent with the age or station of the person. [This is the most usual sense.] We should avoid the vexation and impertinence of pedants. Swift.
5. A trifle; a thing of little or no value. There are many subtile impertinences learnt in schools. Watts.