IMP a 



representation of some object of religious 

 worship or veneration. 



IMAO'INARY. In algebra, a term applied, 

 in common with impossible, to certain ex- 

 pressions which arise in various algebrai- 

 cal and trigonometrical operations, to 

 which no value either rational or irra- 

 tional can be assigned; yet being sub- 

 stituted in the equations whence they are 

 deduced, are found to answer the con- 

 ditions of the question. Thus, i^/ 2 is 

 an imaginary quantity, as its value can- 

 not be assigned, there being no quantity 

 the square of which is 2. 



IMAOIN-A'TION, from image. A power or 

 faculty of the mind, by which it conceives 

 and forms ideas of things communicated 

 to it by the organs of sense. ' ' The business 

 of conception is to present us with an 

 exact transcript of what we have felt or 

 perceived. But we have also a power of 

 modifying our conceptions, by combining 

 the parts of different ones, so as to form 

 new wholes of our own creation. I shall 

 employ the word imagination to express 

 this power. I apprehend this to be the 

 proper sense of the word, if imagination 

 be the power which gives birth to the 

 productions of the poet and painter." 

 Stewart. 



I'MAM, or I'M AN. A minister of the 

 Mohammedan Church, answering to a 

 parish priest with us ; but the term is 

 nearly synonymous with our word prelate. 



IM'BRICATE, Lat. imbricattis, tiled. Ar- 

 ranged like tiles on a house : applied to 

 leaves. 



IMBRO'GLIO (Ital.), a confounding or 

 mixing together. 



IM'ITATIVE. In music, a term applicable 

 to music which is composed in imitation 

 of the effects of some of the operations of 

 nature, art, or human passion. 



IMMFMO'RIAL, from n and memor ; be- 

 yond memory. In a legal sense, a thing is 

 said to be of time immemorial that was 

 before the time of king Edward II. 



IMMER'SION, from in and tnergo. A term 

 in astronomy for the disappearance of a 

 planet, comet, &c., in consequence of their 

 near approach to conjunction with the 

 sun. Immersion also denotes the begin- 

 ning of an eclipse, or occupation, when 

 the body begins to disappear in the shadow 

 of the obscuring body. 



IMMOLA'TION, from mola, a salt cake. A 

 teremony in Roman sacrifices, which con- 

 sisted in throwinsr upon the head of the 

 victim some corn and frankincense, to- 

 gether with the mola (or salt cake) and 

 wine. 



In PACT, Lat. impactus. A term, in me- 

 chanics, for the simple act of one body upon 

 anothei to put it in motion. The point 

 w At rb iLe body acts is termed the point of 

 impact . 



I M P 



IMPA'GES (Lat.). In architecture, the 

 rails of a doer. 



IMPALE'MEXT, from in and palus, a stake. 



1. An enclosure by palisades. 2. The 



barbarous mode of torture used by the 

 Turks, as a punishment for Christians 

 who say anything against the law of the 

 Prophet, who intrigue with Mohammedan 

 women, enter a mosque, &c. : it consisting 

 in driving a stake vertically through the 

 body, and leaving the victim to perish in 



lingering torment. 3. Conjunction of 



two coats of arms pale-ways, as is the 

 case with those of a husband and wife. 



IMPAXA'TION. In theology, the substan- 

 tial of the body and blood of Christ with 

 the elements of the Eucharist, without a 

 change in their nature. 



IMPAN'XELIXG. In late, the writing down 

 of the names of a jury, summoned by the 

 sheriff, on a piece of parchment called a 

 pannel. 



IMPAR'LANCE. In law, license to a de- 

 fendant granted, on motion, to have delay 

 of trial to consider of his answer to the 

 plaintiff's action. Hence also the con- 

 tinuation of a cause till another day is 

 termed an importance. The root of the 

 term i. Norm, emparler, to hold mutual 

 converse ; and the origin of the license of 

 imparlance was to allow the litigant* 

 time to discuss their cause of action to- 

 gether, and to settle it amicably if pos- 

 sible. 



IMPA'TIEXS, the Balsam. A genus of 

 annual plants (Pentundria Monogynia) : 

 thus named because the seed vessels 

 burst instantly, on contact with any ex- 

 traneous body, as if impatient of the 

 touch. The Touch-me-not (Yellow Bal- 

 sam) is the only British type. 



IMPEACH'MENT. In law, an accusation 

 or charge brought against a public officer 

 for maladministration in his office : from 

 Fr. empfcher, to stop or hinder. It is the 

 right of the House of Commons to im- 

 peach, and the right of the House of Lords 

 to determine impeachments. 



IMPEDIMENTS. In laic, such hindrances 

 as prevent a person from suing for his 

 rights. Non-age, idiocy, imprisonment, 

 &c., are impediments. 



IMPENETRABILITY. In physics, that pro- 

 perty of matter which prevents two bodies 

 from being in the same space at the same 

 time : a truth derived from experiment. 



IMPEN'XATES, Lat. ' and penna,a. wing. 

 Swimming birds having short wings, a 

 the penguin. 



IMPER'PECT, not perfect, deficient. Ap- 

 plied: 1 In grammar, to a tense which 

 expresses time indefinitely. 2. In bo- 

 tany, to flowers wanting anthers or pistils,, 



or both. 3. In music, to incomplete 



chords and intervals. 



IMPERIAL (Fr.). In architecture, a spe- 

 cies of pointed dome. 



