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iifhed or exhibited to the public eye, under a penalty of 
aol. for every copy fo publiflied. The lines containing 
thefe particulars are commonly called the imprint. 
IMPRINT'ING,/. The aft of impreflion ; an impref- 
fion. Locke. 
To IMPRIS'ON, v. a. [ emprifonner , Fr. in and prifon.] 
To fliut up ; to confine ; to keep from liberty ; to re- 
ftrain in place.—If a man imprifons himfelf in his clofet, 
and employs reafon to find out the nature of the corpo¬ 
real world, without experiments, he will frame a fcheme 
of chimeras. Watts. 
Now we are in the ftreet,- he firft of all, 
Improvidently proud, creeps to the wall ; 
And, fo imprifon'd and hennn’d in by me. 
Sells for a- little ftate his liberty. Donne. 
IMPRIS'ONING,/. The aft of (hutting up in prifon. 
IMPRISONMENT, f [ emprifonnement , Fr. from impri- 
fon.] Confinement; claufure ; ftate of being fliut in pri- 
ion.—Count Serini, ftill clofe prifoner in this caftle, loft 
his fenfcs by his long imprifonment and affliftions. Addifon. 
From retentive cage 
When fullen Philomel efcapes, her notes 
She varies, and of paft imprifonment 
Sweetly complains. Phillips. 
No perfon is to be imprifoned but as the law direfts, 
either by the command or order of a court of record, or 
by lawful warrant; or the king’s procefs, on which one 
may be lawfully detained. And, at common law, a per¬ 
fon could not be imprifoned unlefs he were guilty of 
fome force and violence, for which his body was fubjeft 
to imprifonment, as one of the higheft executions. Where 
the law gives power to imprifon, in fueh cafe it is jufti- 
fiable, provided he that does it in purfuance of a ftatute 
exaftly purfues the ftatute in the manner of doing it; 
for otherwife it would be deemed falfe imprifonment, and 
of confequence it is unjuftifiable. Every warrant of com¬ 
mitment for imprifoning a perfon, ought to run, “ till de¬ 
livered by due courfe of law,” and not “ until farther or¬ 
der;” which has been held ill ; and thus it alfo is, where 
one is imprifoned on a warrant not mentioning any caufe 
for which he is committed. See False Imprisonment, 
vol. vii. p. 205. 
IMPROBABILITY, f. [from improbable."] Unlikeli¬ 
hood ; difficulty to be believed.—As to the improbabilities 
of a fpirit appearing, I boldly anfwer him, that an heroic 
poet is not tied to the bare reprelentafion of what is true, 
or exceeding probable. Drydtn. 
IMPROBABLE, adj. [improbable, Fr. improbabilis, Lat. 
in and probable.'] Unlikely ; incredible.—This account of 
party-patches will appear improbable to thofe who live at a 
diftance from the failiionable world. Addifon. 
IMPROBABLY, adv. Without likelihood.—In a man¬ 
ner not to be approved. Obfolete. —Ariftotle tells us, if a 
droo of wine be put into ten thoufand meafures of water, 
the wine, being overpowered, will be turned into water : 
he fpeaks very improbably. Boyle. 
To IM'PROBATE, v. a. [in and probo, Lat.] Not to 
approve. Ainfworth. 
IMPROBA'TION, f. Aft of difallowing. Ainfworth. 
IMPROB'ITY, f. [improbitas, improbus, Lat.‘] Want of 
honefty ; difhonefty ; bafenefs.—We balance the improbity 
of the one with the improbity of the other. V Eft range. 
IMPRO'CEROUS, adj. [from in, Lat. contrary to, and 
procerus, tall.] Low of ftature. Cole. 
IMPROCREABIL'ITY, f. Incapacity of procreation. 
Bailey. 
IMPRO'CREABLE, adj. Incapable of being produced 
by procreation. Balley. 
IMPRO'CREATE, adj. Unbegotten. 
IMPRO'CREATED, adj. Unbegotten. Scott. 
IMPROLIF'ICAL, adj. [from in, Lat. contrary to, 
and prples, an offspring.] Barren ; unfruitful. Cole. 
To IMPROLIF'ICATE, v. a. [from in and prolific .] 
To impregnate ; to fecundate. Broun. 
3 
IMP 875 
IMPROMIS'CUOUS, adj. [from in, Lat. contrary to, 
and promiftuus, confufed.] Unmixed; void of confufion. 
Cole. 
IMPROMP'TU, f. A Latin word frequently ufed 
among the French, and fometimes in Englilh, to fignify 
a piece made off-hand, or extempore, without any previous 
meditation, by mere force and vivacity of imagination.— 
Far different is the cafe with a writer of impromptus. Shen- 
flone. 
IMPROP'ER, adj. [impropre, Fr. improprius,l.at.] Not 
well adapted; unqualified.—As every fcience requires a 
peculiar genius, fo likewife there is a genius peculiarly 
improper for every one. Burnet. —Unfit; not conducive to 
the right end.—The methods ufed in an original difeafe 
would be very improper in a gouty cafe. Arbuthnot .—Not 
juft; not accurate : 
He difappear’d, was rarify’d ; • 
For ’tis improper fpeech to fay he dy’d; 
He was exhal’d. Dryden. 
To IMPROP'ERATE, v. a. [from in, Lat. and propercr, 
to do quickly.] To upbraid ; to nickname ; to liaften. Cole. 
IMPROP'ERLY, adv. Not fitly; incongruously. Not 
juftly ; not accurately.—They alluring me of their affift- 
ance in correfting my faults where I fpoke improperly, I 
was encouraged. Dryden. 
Improperly we meafure life by breath ; 
Such do not truly live who merit death. Dryden. 
To IMPRO'PRIATE, v. a. [in and proprius, Lat.] To 
convert to private ufe ; to feize to himfelf.—For the par¬ 
don of the Tell, the king thought it not fit it fliould pafs 
by parliament; the better, being matter of grace, to im¬ 
propriate the thanks to himfelf. Bacon .—To put the pof- 
feffions of the church into the hands of laics.—Mrs. Gul- 
fton, being poffeffed of the impropriate parfonage of Bard- 
well in Suffolk, did procure from the king leave to annex 
the fame to the vicarage. Spclman. 
IMPRO'PRIAT.ING, / The aft of converting to pri¬ 
vate ufe. 
IMPROPRIATION, ft An impropriation is properly 
fo called when the church land is in the hands of a lay¬ 
man and an appropriation is when it is in the hands of 
a bifhon, college, or religioi - houfe ; though fometimes 
thefe terms are confounded. "Ayliffe. 
IMPE t): : KI AT'OR, f A layman that has the poffef- 
fion of t: lands of 'the church.—Where the vicar ieafes 
his glebe, mt mult pay the great tythes to the rec¬ 
tor or impropriator. Ayliffe. 
IMPROPRIETY, ft. [impropriety Fr. from imbroprivs, 
Lat.] Unfitnefs; unfuitablenels; inaccuracy; want of 
juitnefs.—Many grofs improprieties, however authorized by 
praftice, ought to be difcarded. Swift. 
IMPROSTEROU 3 , adj. Unhappy ; unfortunate ; not 
fuccefsful.—Thio method is in the delign probable, how 
improfperous foever the wickednefs of men hath rendered 
the luccefs of it. Hammond. 
Seven revolving years are wholly run, 
Since the improfperous voyage we begun. Dryden. 
IVIPROS'PEROUSLY, adv. Unhappily ; unfuccefsful- 
ly ; with ill'fortune.—This experiment has been but very 
improfperoujly attempted. Boyle. 
IMPROS'PEROUSNESS, /. [from improfperous.] Iff 
fortune.—The efreft of thefe threatnings of God we daily 
lee in the ftrange improjperoufnefs of ill gotten eftates. Whole 
Duly of Man. 
IMPRO'VABLE, adj. _ [from improve.] Capable of be¬ 
ing advanced from a good to a better itate ; capable of 
melioration.—Animals are not improvable beyond their 
proper genius ; a dog will never learn to mew, nor a cat 
to bark. Grew. 
IMPRO VABLENESS, /. Capabienefs of being made 
better. 
. IMPRO'VABLY, adv, In a manner that admits of 
melioration* 
■ To. 
