Etymograph

English

imp

Imp comes from Middle English impen ‘to plant’, from Old English impian ‘to graft’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- ‘to appear, become, rise up’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰuH-‘to appear, become, rise up’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰuHyéti‘to be becoming, to be growing, to be appearing’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰúyō‘to grow, to appear’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφύω‘to bring forth, produce, generate, cause to grow’
  5. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἐμφῠ́ω‘to implant’
  6. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἔμφῠτοςémphŭtos‘implanted’
  7. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*imputō‘to graft’reconstructed
  8. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*impōn‘to graft’reconstructed
  9. Old Englishc. 450–1150impian‘to graft’
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500impen‘to plant’
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1596imp

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰuH-‘to appear, become, rise up’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰuHyéti‘to be becoming, to be growing, to be appearing’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰúyō‘to grow, to appear’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφύω‘to bring forth, produce, generate, cause to grow’
  5. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἐμφῠ́ω‘to implant’
  6. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἔμφῠτοςémphŭtos‘implanted’
  7. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*imputō‘to graft’reconstructed
  8. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*impōn‘to graft’reconstructed
  9. Old Englishc. 450–1150impian‘to graft’
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500impen‘to plant’
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1596imp

Earliest quotation: 1596, Edmund Spenser, Book IV, Canto IX: “That headleſſe tyrants tronke he reard from ground, /…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- ‘to appear, become, rise up’

power, possible, future, present, build, presence, essential, bond, bush, bound, absence, contribution, improve, entity, booth, approve, probability, absent, favorable, distribute, contributor, fiat, bun, favourable, bouquet, retribution, attribution, rebuke, bower, aren, impossibility, beamer, bosque, impotent, phylogeny, phylum, approbation, busk, boor, bist, 79 more

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰuHyéti ‘to be becoming, to be growing, to be appearing’

be, been, 10 more

through Proto-Hellenic *pʰúyō ‘to grow, to appear’

physical, physic, 10 more

through Ancient Greek φύω ‘to bring forth, produce, generate, cause to grow’

physics, physician, 8 more

through Vulgar Latin *imputō ‘to graft’

imputation, 1 more

Another origin of imp

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEputus
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEputō‘esteem, consider’
  3. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*imputō‘to graft’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*impōn‘to graft’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150impian‘to graft’
  6. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150impa‘shoot, sprig’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500impe‘tree branch’
  8. Englishtodayimp

Today it means

verb To engraft or plant (a plant or part of one, a sapling, etc.).

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- / imp

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