IMP 3 



IMPETRA'TION, from impetro. A term in 

 law for the obtaining of anything by re- 

 quest or prayer. In old statutes, it signi- 

 fies the pre-obtaining of benefices, from 

 the Court of Home, which belonged to 

 the King or other lay-patron of the realm. 



IM'PETCS. In mechanics, the force with 

 which one body in motion strikes another ; 

 also the force with which any body moves 

 towards any point. 



IMPLICATION, Lat. itnplico, I involve. 

 In law, an inference necessarily arising 

 from something declared. 



IMPLU'VIUM (Lat.). In ancient archi- 

 tecture, the outer part of the court of a 

 house, exposed to the weather. 



IMPO'SE, from itnpono. 1. In printing, 

 to impose a form, is to put it on the im- 

 posing-stone, fit on the' chase, and thus 



prepare it for the press. 2. Legislators 



impose taxes, duties, and other burdens 

 on the country, many of which are vexa- 

 tious, and yield no return to the revenue. 



IMPOSITION OP HANDS, Lat. impono, I 

 place upon. In ecclesiastics, the sign and 

 seal of Confirmation and Ordination to 

 the Ministry and to Deaconship. 



IMPOSSIBLE. In algebra, the same as 

 imaginary (q.V.), 



IM'POST. 1. A duty imposed on goods 



imported. 2. The layer of stone which 



crowns a door-post, pier, or the like, and 

 which generally projects and is orna- 

 mented with mouldings. 



IMPREGNATION. 1. The act of fecun- 

 dating : applied to plants and animals. 



2. In pharmacy, the communication of the 

 virtues of some particular substance to a 

 medicine, whether by nurture, coction, 

 or digestion. 



IMPRESS'ING, \ is a compulsory and 



IMPKESS'MEXT, ) iniquitous mode of ob- 

 taining seamen for the Navy. All sea- 

 faring men are liable to be impressed, 

 unless specially protected by custom or 

 statute. 



IMPRES'SION. 1. A copy obtained in 

 some plastic substance. Thus we take 

 impressions of medals in wax ; and im- 

 pressions of organic bodies are abundant 



in the strata of the earth's crust. 2. An 



edition of a book, print, or the like, is 

 called an impression, the mechanical part 

 only being considered. 



IMPRIMATUR (Lat.), let it be printed. 

 The term applied to the privilege, which 

 in some countries must be granted by a 

 functionary, of printing and publishing a 

 book. 



IM'PRINT, Fr. imprimer. The names of 

 the place where, and by whom, and the 

 time when a book is published, always 

 placed at the bottom of the title- page. 

 See COLOPHON. 



IMPROPER FRACTION. In arithmetic, a 

 fraction whose numerator is equal to or 

 greater t ban the denominator. 



1 >; c 



I.MPROPRIA'TION, from in and propriits. 

 The putting of an ecclesiastical beneticc 

 into the hands of a layman, thence called 

 an impropriator f also, the beneticc so im- 

 propriated. 



IMPROVISATO'RI (Ital.), persons who 

 compose and recite verses extempora- 

 neously. Improvisator! are common in 

 Italy and Spain; and although their 

 verses are generally within the range of 

 mediocrity, the readiuess with which 

 they are produced never fails to excite 

 astonishment in people of less flexible 

 intellect and colder fancy. 



IM'PCLSE, from impvlsus. Communi- 

 cated force ; the effect of one body im- 

 pinging against another. 



INARCH'ING. In gardening, a method of 

 grafting, usually called grafting by ap- 

 proach. 



IN AUOUR'ATION , Lat. inaugurare, to take 

 omens. Synonymous with the consecra- 

 tion of a prelate, or the coronation of a 

 king. It means also an introduction to 

 any office with certain ceremonies. 



IN AUTRE DROIT, (Fr., for" in another's 

 right"), is where executors or administra- 

 tors sue for debt or duty, &c., of the tes- 

 tator or intestate. 



IN'CA, the title given by the natives of 

 Peru to their kings and princes of the 

 blood, before the conquest of that country 

 by the Spaniards. 



INCANTA'TION, Lat. in and canto, I sing. 

 A form of words combined with certain 

 ceremonies and mixtures of heterogeneous 

 substances, anciently used for supersti- 

 tious purposes. 



INCARNA'TIO.V, from in and caro. A 

 term in surgery for the healing up of 

 wounds, and filling the part with new 

 flesh. In theology, the union of the God- 

 head with the manhood in Jesus Christ. 



INCEP'TIVE, Lat. inceptivus, from incipio. 

 An epithet in grammar for verbs which 

 express a proceeding by degrees in aii 

 action ; also in mathematics for moments, 

 which, though of no magnitude them- 

 selves, are yet capable of producing such. 

 Thus a point is inceptive of a line, and 

 a line is inceptive of a surface. 



INCERTUM OPUS. In ancient architec- 

 ture, a species of walling composed of 

 stones built in without any regularity of 

 appearance. 



IscH.Sax. ince. 1. A lineal measure, 

 the 12th part of a foot, and equal to three 

 barleycorns. 2. Used as a prefix to 

 certain small Scottish islands, as Inch- 

 Keith, being derived from the Gaelic wu', 

 an island. 



IN'CIDENCE, Lat incident, from incido. 

 The direction in which one body falls on 

 or strikes on another. The angle which 

 the direction of the falling or moving 

 body makes with the plane struck, is 

 called the angle of incidence, and is equal 



