a. [ Cf. F. imposable. ] Capable of being imposed or laid on. Hammond. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Quality of being imposable. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Imposed p. pr. & vb. n. Imposing. ] [ F. imposer; pref. im- in + poser to place. See Pose, v. t. ] 1. To lay on; to set or place; to put; to deposit. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cakes of salt and barley [ she ] did impose
Within a wicker basket. Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To lay as a charge, burden, tax, duty, obligation, command, penalty, etc.; to enjoin; to levy; to inflict; as, to impose a toll or tribute. [ 1913 Webster ]

What fates impose, that men must needs abide. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Death is the penalty imposed. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou on the deep imposest nobler laws. Waller. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Eccl.) To lay on, as the hands, in the religious rites of confirmation and ordination. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Print.) To arrange in proper order on a table of stone or metal and lock up in a chase for printing; -- said of columns or pages of type, forms, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To practice tricks or deception. [ 1913 Webster ]

To impose on or
To impose upon, (a) to pass or put a trick on; to delude; to cheat; to defraud. “He imposes on himself, and mistakes words for things.” Locke. (b) to place an unwelcome burden or obligation on (another person); as, she imposed on her friend to drive her daughter to school. (c) to take unfair advantage of (a person, a friendship); as, he imposed on his friendship with The Mayor to gain business. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. A command; injunction. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. p. p. of impose; as, rules imposed by society. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. Imposition. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who imposes. [ 1913 Webster ]

The imposers of these oaths might repent. Walton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Laying as a duty; enjoining. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Adapted to impress forcibly; impressive; commanding; as, an imposing air; an imposing spectacle. “Large and imposing edifices.” Bp. Hobart. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Deceiving; deluding; misleading. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Print.) The act of imposing the columns of a page, or the pages of a sheet. See Impose, v. t., 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

Imposing stone (Print.), the stone on which the pages or columns of types are imposed or made into forms; -- called also imposing table. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an imposing manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being imposing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. L. impositio the application of a name to a thing. See Impone. ] 1. The act of imposing, laying on, affixing, enjoining, inflicting, obtruding, and the like. “From imposition of strict laws.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Made more solemn by the imposition of hands. Hammond. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is imposed, levied, or enjoined; charge; burden; injunction; tax. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Eng. Univ.) An extra exercise enjoined on students as a punishment. T. Warton. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. An excessive, arbitrary, or unlawful exaction; hence, a trick or deception put on laid on others; cheating; fraud; delusion; imposture. [ 1913 Webster ]

Reputation is an idle and most false imposition. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Eccl.) The act of laying on the hands as a religious ceremoy, in ordination, confirmation, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Print.) The act or process of imosing pages or columns of type. See Impose, v. t., 4.

Syn. -- Deceit; fraud; imposture. See Deception. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Impossibilities [ L. impossibilitas: cf. F. impossibilité. ] 1. The quality of being impossible; impracticability. [ 1913 Webster ]

They confound difficulty with impossibility. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An impossible thing; that which is not possible; that which can not be thought, done, or endured. [ 1913 Webster ]

Impossibilities! O, no, there's none. Cowley. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Inability; helplessness. [ R. ] Latimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Logical impossibility, a condition or statement involving contradiction or absurdity; as, that a thing can be and not be at the same time. See Principle of Contradiction, under Contradiction. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F., fr. L. impossibilis; pref. im- not + possibilis possible. See Possible. ] Not possible; incapable of being done, of existing, etc.; unattainable in the nature of things, or by means at command; insuperably difficult under the circumstances; absurd or impracticable; not feasible. [ 1913 Webster ]

With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Matt. xix. 26. [ 1913 Webster ]

Without faith it is impossible to please him. Heb. xi. 6. [ 1913 Webster ]

Impossible quantity (Math.), an imaginary quantity. See Imaginary.

Syn. -- See Impracticable. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An impossibility; as, he tried to do the impossible. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

“Madam, ” quoth he, “this were an impossible!” Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. incapability of existing or occurring; impossibility.
Syn. -- impossibility. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. Not possibly. Sir. T. North. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. impost, F. impot, LL. impostus, fr. L. impostus, p. p. of imponere to impose. See Impone. ] 1. That which is imposed or levied; a tax, tribute, or duty; especially, a duty or tax laid by goverment on goods imported into a country. [ 1913 Webster ]

Even the ship money . . . Johnson could not pronounce to have been an unconstitutional impost. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Arch.) The top member of a pillar, pier, wall, etc., upon which the weight of an arch rests. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The impost is called continuous, if the moldings of the arch or architrave run down the jamb or pier without a break.

Syn. -- Tribute; excise; custom; duty; tax. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See Imposthume. ] To apostemate; to form an imposthume or abscess. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Imposthumated p. pr. & vb. n. Imposthumating ] To affect with an imposthume or abscess. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Imposthumated. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act of forming an abscess; state of being inflamed; suppuration. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An abscess; an imposthume. Coxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ A corruption of aposteme. See Aposteme. ] A collection of pus or purulent matter in any part of an animal body; an abscess. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. Same as Imposthumate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. impostor a deceiver, fr. imponere to impose upon, deceive. See Impone. ] One who imposes upon others; a person who assumes a character or title not his own, for the purpose of deception; a pretender. “The fraudulent impostor foul.” Milton.

Syn. -- Deceiver; cheat; rogue. See Deceiver. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The condition, character, or practice of an impostor. Milton.

{ } n. [ LL. impostrix. See Impostor. ] A woman who imposes upon or deceives others. [ R. ] Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Characterized by imposture; deceitful. “Impostrous pretense of knowledge.” Grote. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Imposture; cheating. [ R. ] Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. impostura: cf. F. imposture. See Impone. ] The act or conduct of an impostor; deception practiced under a false or assumed character; fraud or imposition; cheating. [ 1913 Webster ]

From new legends
And fill the world with follies and impostures. Johnson.

Syn. -- Cheat; fraud; trick; imposition; delusion. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Done by imposture. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Impostrous; deceitful. [ 1913 Webster ]

Strictness fales and impostrous. Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Imposture. [ Obs. ] Fuller.

v. t. To impose anew. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Voluntarily taken on one's self; as, self-imposed tasks. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Imposture practiced on one's self; self-deceit. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Superimposed p. pr. & vb. n. Superimposing. ] To lay or impose on something else; as, a stratum of earth superimposed on another stratum. -- Su`per*im`po*si"tion n. [1913 Webster]

See accommodating.
See aching.
See ailing.
See aiming.
See alarming.
See altering.
See appreciating.
See approving.
See aspiring.
See assisting.
See attempting.
See attending.
See bearing.
See befitting.
See beginning.
See believing.
See bleaching.
See bleeding.
See blemishing.
See blenching.
See blossoming.
See blushing.
See boding.
See branching.
See breathing.
See burning.
See calculating.
See ceasing.
See changing.
See charming.
See communicating.
See complaining.
See complying.
See conceiving.
See conducing.
See confessing.
See conniving.
See consenting.
See considering.
See conspiring.
See consulting.
See consuming.
See contending.
See contriving.
See conversing.
See convincing.
See dawning.
See decaying.
See delaying.
See depending.
See derogating.
See deserving.
See desiring.
See despairing.
See detesting.
See deviating.
See differencing.
See discerning.
See discording.
See discriminating.
See disobliging.
See dispensing.
See dissembling.
See dissolving.
See distinguishing.
See distracting.
See disturbing.
See doubting.
See dreading.
See drooping.
See ebbing.
See echoing.
See edifying.
See ending.
See enduring.
See engaging.
See enjoying.
See entering.
See enterprising.
See entertaining.
See envying.
See existing.
See fadging.
See fading.
See fainting.
See faltering.
See fearing.
See feigning.
See fighting.
See fitting.
See flagging.
See flattering.
See flinching.
See folding.
See forbearing.
See foreboding.
See foreseeing.
See forgiving.
See giving.
See grudging.
See harming.
See heeding.
See hesitating.
See hoping.
See hurting.
See importing.
See imposing.
See improving.
See interesting.
See intermitting.
See intoxicating.
See inviting.
See jarring.
See laboring.
See lingering.
See listening.
See loving.
See meddling.
See meriting.
See mistrusting.
See moving.
See murmuring.
See obliging.
See observing.
See offending.
See opening.
See pardoning.
See paying.
See perceiving.
See performing.
See perishing.
See pitying.
See pleasing.
See possessing.
See preaching.
See prepossessing.
See presuming.
See pretending.
See prevailing.
See prevaricating.
See profiting.
See promising.
See proving.
See quailing.
See questioning.
See reasoning.
See recalling.
See reclining.
See recurring.
See referring.
See reflecting.
See refunding.
See refusing.
See rejoicing.
See relaxing.
See relishing.
See remembering.
See repenting.
See repining.
See reproving.
See repulsing.
See resisting.
See resolving.
See resting.
See returning.
See rewarding.
See sanctifying.
See satisfying.
See searching.
See seeing.
See setting.
See shrinking.
See sinking.
See sleeping.
See slipping.
See slumbering.
See speaking.
See stinting.
See stirring.
See stooping.
See submitting.
See sufficing.
See suiting.
See surging.
See suspecting.
See sweating.
See swerving.
See sympathizing.
See tasting.
See thriving.
See tiring.
See toiling.
See trading.
See trembling.
See trespassing.
See trifling.
See vacillating.
See varying.
See walking.
See wandering.
See waning.
See wasting.
See wavering.
See weeping.
See winking.
See winning.
See withdrawing.
See withering.
See wondering.
See working.
See writing.
See yielding.
----- and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

The above classes of words are unlimited in extent, and such compounds may be formed by any writer or speaker at will from almost all the adjectives or participles in the language, excepting those which have a recognized and usual negative correspondent with the prefix -in. No attempt will be made, therefore, to define them all in this Dictionary; many will be omitted from its Vocabulary which are negations of the simple word, and are readily explained by prefixing a not to the latter. Derivatives of these words in -ly and -ness will also, for the most part, be omitted for the same or similar reasons. [ 1913 Webster ]

There will be inserted as separate articles with definitions, the following: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Those which have acquired an opposed or contrary, instead of a merely negative, meaning; as, unfriendly, ungraceful, unpalatable, unquiet, and the like; or else an intensive sense more than a prefixed not would express; as, unending, unparalleled, undisciplined, undoubted, unsafe, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Those which have the value of independent words, inasmuch as the simple words are either not used at all, or are rarely, or at least much less frequently, used; as, unavoidable, unconscionable, undeniable, unspeakable, unprecedented, unruly, and the like; or inasmuch as they are used in a different sense from the usual meaning of the primitive, or especially in one of the significations of the latter; as, unaccountable, unalloyed, unbelieving, unpretending, unreserved, and the like; or inasmuch as they are so frequently and familiarly used that they are hardly felt to be of negative origin; as, uncertain, uneven, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Those which are anomalous, provincial, or, for some other reason, not desirable to be used, and are so indicated; as, unpure for impure, unsatisfaction for dissatisfaction, unexpressible for inexpressible, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

II. Un- is prefixed to nouns to express the absence of, or the contrary of, that which the noun signifies; as, unbelief, unfaith, unhealth, unrest, untruth, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Compounds of this last class are given in full in their proper order in the Vocabulary. [ 1913 Webster ]