imp

Meaning

Noun

1. A small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature, somewhat comparable to a demon but smaller and less powerful, formerly regarded as the child of the devil or a demon (see sense 3.2).
2. A mischievous child.
3. A baby Tasmanian devil.
4. (obsolete) A young shoot of a plant, a tree, etc.; a sapling; also, a part of a plant used for grafting; a graft.
5. (obsolete) An offspring or scion, especially of a noble family; (generally) a (usually male) child; a (young) man.
6. (obsolete) Something added to or united with another to lengthen it out or repair it (such as an eke or small stand on which a beehive is placed, or a length of twisted hair in a fishing line).

Verb

1. (obsolete) To engraft or plant (a plant or part of one, a sapling, etc.).
2. To graft or implant (something other than a plant); to fix or set (something) in.
3. To engraft (a feather) on to a broken feather in a bird's wing or tail to repair it; to engraft (feathers) on to a bird, or a bird's wing or tail.
4. To provide (someone or something) with wings, hence enabling them or it to soar.
5. To add to or unite an object with (something) to lengthen the latter out or repair it; to eke out, enlarge, strengthen.

Synonyms

demon

goblin

elf

🧝

devil

urchin

fiend

rascal

hob

evil spirit

hobgoblin

rapscallion

sprite

gnome

scamp

fairy

🧚

brownie

ghost

👻

graft

gremlin

little devil

monkey

🐒

pixie

pixy

scalawag

scallywag

lengthen

wretch

bud

monster

perisher

holy terror

young child

puck

evil sprite

enlarge

rogue

young lad

Daityas

elfin

shoot

spirit

daemon

troublemaker

giant

chap

vampire

🧛

Grim Reaper

boy

👦

extend

incubus

kappa

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɪmp/

Etymology

From Middle English impe, ympe (“tree branch; shoot, sprig; graft, scion; young tree, sapling, seedling; tree”) [and other forms], from Old English impa, impe (“shoot, sprig; graft, scion; young tree, sapling, seedling”), from impian, ġeimpian (“to graft”) (see etymology 1).