imp
noun
[ ɪmp ]
• a small, mischievous devil or sprite.
Similar:
demon,
little devil,
devil,
fiend,
hobgoblin,
goblin,
elf,
sprite,
puck,
bugbear,
cacodemon,
imp
verb
• repair a damaged feather in (the wing or tail of a trained hawk) by attaching part of a new feather.
Origin:
Old English impa, impe ‘young shoot, scion’, impian ‘to graft’, based on Greek emphuein ‘to implant’. In late Middle English, the noun denoted a descendant, especially of a noble family, and later a child of the devil or a person regarded as such; hence a ‘little devil’ or mischievous child (early 17th century).
IMP
abbreviation
• Manx pound(s).
• International Match Point.
