Emily Dickinson Lexicon

IM-POS'THUME, n. [impos'tume; This word is a corruption of apostem, L. apostema, Gr. αποστημα, from αφιστημι to separate, to withdraw, or to stand off; απο and ἱστημι, to stand.]

An abscess; a collection of pus or purulent matter in any part of an animal body. Encyc. [This word and its derivatives, being mere corruptions, might well be suffered to pass into oblivion.]

IM-POS'THUME, v.i.

The same as Imposthumate.

IM-POS'TOR, n. [Fr. imposteur; Sp. and Port. impostor; It. impostore; from Low L. impostor, from impono. See Impose.]

One who imposes on others; a person who assumes a character for the purpose of deception; a deceiver under a false character. It seems to be yet unsettled, whether Perkin Warbeck was an impostor. A religious impostor may be one who assumes the character of a preacher, without authority; or one who falsely pretends to an extraordinary commission from heaven, and terrifies people with denunciations of judgments. Encyc.

IM-POS'TUR-AGE, n.

Imposition. [Not in use.] Bp. Taylor.

IM-POS'TURE, n. [Fr. from L. impostura. See Impose.]

Deception practiced under a false or assumed character; fraud or imposition practiced by a false pretender. Form new legends / And fill the world with follies and impostures. Irene.

IM-POS'TUR-ED, a.

Having the nature of imposture. Beaum.

IM-POS'TUR-OUS, a.

Deceitful. [Not used.] Beaum.

IM'PO-TENCE, or IM'PO-TEN-CY, n. [L. impotentia; in and potentia, from potens, from the root of L. possum, posse, which consists of the elements Pd or Pt. See Power.]

1. Want of strength or power, animal or intellectual; weakness; feebleness; inability; imbecility; defect of power, natural or adventitious, to perform any thing. Some were poor by the impotency of nature; as young fatherless children, old decrepit persons, idiots and cripples. Hayward. The impotence of exercising animal motion attends fevers. Arbuthnot.
2. Moral inability; the want of power or inclination to resist or overcome habits and natural propensities.
3. Inability to beget.
4. Ungovernable passion; a Latin signification. [Little used.] Milton.

IM'PO-TENT, a. [Fr. from L. impotens.]

1. Weak; feeble; wanting strength or power; unable by nature, or disabled by disease or accident to perform any act. I know thou wast not slow to hear, / Nor impotent to save. Addison.
2. Wanting the power of propagation, as males.
3. Wanting the power of restraint; not having the command over; as, impotent of tongue. Dryden.

IM'PO-TENT, n.

One who is feeble, infirm, or languishing under disease. Shak.

IM'PO-TENT-LY, adv.

Weakly; without power over the passions.

IM-POUND', v.t. [in and pound. See Pound.]

1. To put, shut or confine in a pound or close pen; as, to impound unruly or stray horses, cattle, &c.
2. To confine; to restrain with limits. Bacon.

IM-POUND'ED, pp.

Confined in a pound.

IM-POUND'ER, n.

One who impounds the beasts of another.

IM-POUND'ING, ppr.

Confining in a pound; restraining.

IM-POV'ER-ISH, v.t. [Fr. appauvrir, appauvrissant, from pauvre, poor; It. impoverire. See Poor.]

1. To make poor; to reduce to poverty or indigence. Idleness and vice are sure to impoverish individuals and families.
2. To exhaust strength, richness or fertility; as, to impoverish land by frequent cropping.

IM-POV'ER-ISH-ED, pp.

Reduced to poverty; exhausted.

IM-POV'ER-ISH-ER, n.

1. One who makes others poor.
2. That which impairs fertility.

IM-POV'ER-ISH-ING, a.

Tending or fitted to reduce to poverty, or to exhaust of fertility. White crops are impoverishing to land.

IM-POV'ER-ISH-ING, ppr.

Making poor; exhausting.

IM-POV'ER-ISH-LY, adv.

So as to impoverish.

IM-POV'ER-ISH-MENT, n.

Depauperation; a reducing to indigence; exhaustion; drain of wealth, richness or fertility.

IM-POW'ER, v.t. [See EMPOWER.]

IM-PRAC-TI-CA-BIL'I-TY, or IM-PRAC'TI-CA-BLE-NESS, n. [See Impracticable.]

1. The state or quality of being beyond human power, or the means proposed; infeasibility.
2. Untractableness; stubbornness. Burnet.

IM-PRAC'TI-CA-BLE, a. [in and practible; Fr. impracticable. See Practice.]

1. That can not be done or performed; infeasible; not to be effected by human means, or by the means proposed. It is impracticable for a man to lift a tun by his unassisted strength; but not impracticable for a man aided by a mechanical power.
2. Untractable; unmanageable; stubborn; as a fierce, impracticable nature. Rowe.
3. That can not be passed or traveled; as, an impracticable road; a colloquial sense.