Part 71

Im"phee (m"f), n. (Bot.) The African sugar cane (Holcus saccharatus), -- resembling the sorghum, or Chinese sugar cane.

Im*pic"tured (m*pk"trd; 135), a. Pictured; impressed. [Obs.] Spenser.

Im*pierce" (m*prs"), v. t. [Pref. im- in + pierce. Cf. Empierce.] To pierce; to penetrate. [Obs.] Drayton.

Im*pierce"a*ble (-*b'l) a. Not capable of being pierced; impenetrable. [Obs.] Spenser.

Im*pi"e*ty (m*p"*t), n.; pl. Impieties (- tz). [L. impietas, fr. impius impious; cf. F. impiété. See Impious, Piety.] 1. The quality of being impious; want of piety; irreverence toward the Supreme Being; ungodliness; wickedness.

2. An impious act; an act of wickedness.

Those impieties for the which they are now visited.

Shak.

Syn. -- Ungodliness; irreligion; unrighteousness; sinfulness; profaneness; wickedness; godlessness.

Im*pig"no*rate (m*pg"n*rt), v. t. [LL. impignoratus, p. pl of impignorare to pawn. See Pignoration.] To pledge or pawn. [Obs.] Laing.

Im*pig`no*ra"tion (-r"shn), n. [LL. impignoratio: cf. F. impignoration.] The act of pawning or pledging; the state of being pawned. [Obs.] Bailey.

Imp"ing (mp"ng), n. [See Imp to graft.] 1. The act or process of grafting or mending. [Archaic]

2. (Falconry) The process of repairing broken feathers or a deficient wing.

Im*pinge" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Impinged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Impinging (?).] [L. impingere; pref. im- in + pangere to fix, strike; prob. akin to pacisci to agree, contract. See Pact, and cf. Impact.] To fall or dash against; to touch upon; to strike; to hit; to clash with; -- with on or upon.

The cause of reflection is not the impinging of light on the solid or impervious parts of bodies.

Sir I. Newton.

But, in the present order of things, not to be employed without impinging on God's justice.

Bp. Warburton.

Im*pinge"ment (?), n. The act of impinging.

Im*pin"gent (?), a. [L. impingens, p. pr.] Striking against or upon.

Im*pin"guate (?), v. t. [L. impinguatus, p. p. of impinguare to fatten; pref. im- in + pinguis fat.] To fatten; to make fat. [Obs.] Bacon.

Im`pin*gua"tion (?), n. The act of making fat, or the state of being fat or fattened. [Obs.]

Im"pi*ous (?), a. [L. impius; pref. im- not + pius piou. See Pious.] Not pious; wanting piety; irreligious; irreverent; ungodly; profane; wanting in reverence for the Supreme Being; as, an impious deed; impious language.

When vice prevails, and impious men bear away, The post of honor is a private station.

Addison.

Syn. -- Impious, Irreligious, Profane. Irreligious is negative, impious and profane are positive. An indifferent man may be irreligious; a profane man is irreverent in speech and conduct; an impious man is wickedly and boldly defiant in the strongest sense. Profane also has the milder sense of secular. C. J. Smith.

-- Im"pi*ous*ly, adv. -- Im"pi*ous*ness, n.

Im"pire (?), n. See Umpire. [Obs.] Huloet.