Where does “imp” come from?
Imp comes from Middle English impen, formed with the Middle English verb-forming suffix -en from Old English -en, ultimately from Latin imputo meaning "to charge or attribute," composed of the Latin prefix in- and Latin in.
imp (English): A small, mischievous sprite, or a malevolent...
Definitions
- A small, mischievous sprite, or a malevolent...
Ancestry of “imp”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | impen | Alternative form of ympen |
| 2 | Old English | impian | to graft |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | impōn | to graft |
| 4 | Latin | imputō | — |
| 5 | Latin | īn- | — |
| 6 | Latin | în | — |
| 7 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |