Emily Dickinson Lexicon

I-DO'NE-OUS, a. [L. idoneus; probably from the root of Gr. δυναμαι, to be strong, able or sufficient.]

Fit; suitable; proper; convenient; adequate. [Little used.] Boyle.

I'DYL, n. [L. idyllium; Gr. ειδυλλιον; supposed to be from ειδος, form.]

A short poem; properly, a short pastoral poem; as, the idyls of Theocritus.

IE, conj. [I.e.]

stands for L. id est, that is.

IE-LAND, n. [or rather I'LAND. G. and D. eiland; Sax. ealond, iegland; composed of ie, ea, water, Fr. eau, contracted from L. aqua, and land. This is the genuine English word, always used in discourse, but for which is used island, an absurd compound of Fr. isle and land, which signifies land in waterland, or rather ieland-land. Milford writes this word iland; and in the Bishop's Bible it is always written iland or yland.]

1. A portion of land surrounded by water; as, Bermuda, Barbadoes, Cuba, Great Britain, Borneo.
2. A large mass of floating ice.

IF, v.t.

1. Imperative, contracted from Sax. gif, from gifan, Goth. giban, to give. It introduces a conditional sentence. It is a verb, without a specified nominative. In like manner we use grant, admit, suppose. Regularly, if should be followed, as it was formerly, by the substitute or pronoun that, referring to the succeeding sentence or preposition. If that John shall arrive in season, I will send him with a message. But that is now omitted, and the subsequent sentence, proposition or affirmation, may be considered as the object of the verb. Give John shall arrive; grant, suppose, admit that he shall arrive, I will send him with a message. The sense of if, or give, in this use, is grant, admit, cause to be, let the fact be, let the thing take place. If then is equivalent to grant, allow, admit. “If thou wilt, thou canst make me whole,” that is, thou canst make me whole, give the fact, that thou wilt. If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Math. xiv.
2. Whether or not. Uncertain if by augury or chance. Dryden. So in French, soit que, let it be that.

IG'NE-OUS, a. [L. igneus, from ignis, fire, Sans. aghni or agnis, or agnih. Bengal. aag, ogin, Slav. ogn.]

1. Consisting of fire; as, igneous particles emitted from burning wood.
2. Containing fire; having the nature of fire.
3. Resembling fire; as, an igneous appearance. IG-NES'CENT a. [L. ignescens, ignesco, from ignis, fire.] Emitting sparks of fire when struck with steel; scintillating; as, ignescent stones. Fourcroy.

IG-NES'CENT, n.

A stone or mineral that gives out sparks when struck with steel or iron. Many other stones, besides this class of ignescents, produce a real scintillation when struck against steel. Fourcroy.

IG-NIF'ER-OUS, n.

Producing fire.

IG'NI-FI-ED, pp.

Formed into fire.

IG-NIF'LU-OUS, a. [L. ignifluus.]

Flowing with fire. Cockeran.

IG'NI-FY, v.t. [L. ignis and facio.]

To form into fire. Stukely.

IG'NI-FY-ING, ppr.

Forming into fire.

IG-NIG'E-NOUS, a. [L. ignis, and Gr. γενναω.]

Produced by fire. It is supposed a part of the crust of the earth is ignigenous.

IG-NIP'O-TENT, a. [L. ignis, fire, and potens, powerful.]

Presiding over fire. Vulcan is called the power ignipotent. Pope.

IG'NIS-FAT-U-US, n. [L.]

A meteor or light that appears in the night, over marshy grounds, supposed to be occasioned by phosphoric matter extricated from putrefying animal or vegetable substances, or by some inflammable gas; vulgarly called Will with the whisp, and Jack with a lantern. Ed. Encyc.

IG-NITE', v.i.

To take fire; to become red with heat.

IG-NITE', v.t. [L. ignis, fire.]

1. To kindle, or set on fire.
2. More generally, to communicate fire to, or to render luminous or red by heat; as, to ignite charcoal or iron. Anthracite is ignited with more difficulty than bituminous coal.

IG-NIT'ED, pp.

1. Set on fire.
2. Rendered red or luminous by heat or fire.

IG-NIT'I-BLE, a.

Capable of being ignited.

IG-NIT'ING, ppr.

1. Setting on fire; becoming red with heat.
2. Communicating fire to; heating to redness.

IG-NI'TION, n.

1. The act of kindling, or setting on fire.
2. The act or operation of communicating fire or heat, till the substance becomes red or luminous.
3. The state of being kindled; more generally, the state of being heated to redness or luminousness.
4. Calcination.

IG-NIV'O-MOUS, a. [L. ignivomus; ignis, fire, and vomo, to vomit.]

Vomiting fire; as, an ignivomous mountain, a volcano. Derham.

IG-NO-BIL'I-TY, n.

Ignobleness. [Not in use.] Ball.

IG-NO'BLE, a. [Fr. from L. ignobilis; in and nobilis. See Noble.]

1. Of low birth or family; not noble; not illustrious.
2. Mean; worthless; as, an ignoble plant.
3. Base; not honorable; as, an ignoble motive.

IG-NO'BLE-NESS, n.

Want of dignity; meanness. Ainsworth.