noun · verb · 18 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
General-American, Received-Pronunciation:/ɪmp/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɪmp
CMU ARPABET:IH1 M P
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature, somewhat comparable to a demon but smaller and less powerful, formerly regarded as the child of the devil or a demon (see sense 3.2).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A mischievous child.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, humorous, often, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: brat, little dickens, scamp, urchin
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A baby Tasmanian devil.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A supporter (or less commonly, a player) of the Lincoln City Football Club.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, broadly, colloquial, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A young shoot of a plant, a tree, etc.; a sapling; also, a part of a plant used for grafting; a graft.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
An offspring or scion, especially of a noble family; (generally) a (usually male) child; a (young) man.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
Something added to or united with another to lengthen it out or repair it (such as an eke or small stand on which a beehive is placed, or a length of twisted hair in a fishing line).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, dialectal, obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
Synonym of god (“person who owns and runs a multi-user dungeon”).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang, transitive
Topics: video-games
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: god
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
Initialism of inosine monophosphate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Narrower terms: terror, brat, little terror, holy terror
History
Etymology
From Middle English impe, ympe (“tree branch; shoot, sprig; graft, scion; young tree, sapling, seedling; tree”) [and other forms], from Old English impa, impe (“shoot, sprig; graft, scion; young tree, sapling, seedling”), from impian, ġeimpian (“to graft”) (see etymology 1).
From implementer.
From Middle English impen, ympen (“to plant; (figuratively) to bury; to graft; to add to, insert, put into, set in; to mend (a falcon’s feather) by attaching a new feather on to the broken stump”), from Old English impian, ġeimpian (“to graft”), from Proto-West Germanic *impōn (“to graft”), from Vulgar Latin *imputō (“to graft”), from Ancient Greek ἔμφῠτος (émphŭtos, “implanted; planted”), from ἐμφῠ́ω (emphŭ́ō, “to implant”, from ἐν- (en-, prefix meaning ‘in’) + φῠ́ω (phŭ́ō, “to bring forth, produce; to grow”, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bhuH- (“to appear; to become; to grow”))) + -τος (-tos).
Across languages
Translations
125 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Belarusian:
чарцяня́
(čarcjanjá)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Belarusian:
чарцянё
(čarcjanjó)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Belarusian:
чо́рцік
(čórcik)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Belarusian:
д'ябаля́
(dʺjabaljá)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Belarusian:
д'ябалё
(dʺjabaljó)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Bulgarian:
дя́волче
(djávolče)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Catalan:
dimoniet
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Catalan:
diablet
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Chinese Mandarin:
惡魔 /恶魔
(èmó)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Chinese Mandarin:
邪鬼
(xiéguǐ)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Dutch:
aardmannetje
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Dutch:
kabouter
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Esperanto:
diableto
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Finnish:
maahinen
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Finnish:
piru
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Finnish:
pikkupiru
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
French:
diablotin
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
French:
lutin
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
German:
Kobold
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
German:
Teufelchen
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Greek:
διαβολάκι
(diavoláki)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Ido:
diableto
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Ingrian:
pahalain
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Ingrian:
vaadulain
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Ingrian:
tontti
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Italian:
demonietto
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Italian:
diavoletto
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Italian:
folletto
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Japanese:
悪魔
(akuma)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Japanese:
邪鬼
(jaki)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Korean:
악마
(angma)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Korean:
사귀
(sagwi)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Latin:
diabolullus
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Macedonian:
ѓа́волче
(ǵávolče)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Marathi:
इम्प
(impa)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Norman:
dgiâbliotîn
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Polish:
chochlik
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Polish:
diabełek
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Polish:
diablę
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Portuguese:
diabrete
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Romanian:
drăcușor
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Russian:
бесёнок
(besjónok)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Russian:
чертёнок
(čertjónok)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Russian:
чёртик
(čórtik)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Russian:
дьяволёнок
(dʹjavoljónok)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Spanish:
diablillo
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Swedish:
smådjävul
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Ukrainian:
бісеня́
(bisenjá)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Ukrainian:
бі́сик
(bísyk)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Ukrainian:
чортеня́
(čortenjá)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Ukrainian:
чортя́
(čortjá)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
Ukrainian:
дияволеня́
(dyjavolenjá)
— small, mischievous sprite or a malevolent supernatural creature
