▪ I. imprint, n.
(ˈɪmprɪnt)
Forms: 5 em-, enpraynt(e, enprinte, enprynte, 6 imprynte, Sc. imprent, 7– imprint.
[ME. type empreynte, -printe, a. F. empreinte ‘a stampe, a violent assault’ (Cotgr.), ppl. n. from empreind-re (pa. pple. empreint); the prefix subseq. conformed to L.: see next. Empreinte was a formation of the same class as armée, assise, conduite, etc.]
I. 1. a. A figure impressed or imprinted upon something; a mark produced by pressure on a surface; an impression, stamp.
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 109 b/2 Thy seal wherein is then⁓prynte of the crosse. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 304 The Vernacle, whiche is the very similitude & imprynte of thy blessed & gloryous vysage. 1585 Jas. I Ess. Poesie (Arb.) 31 As into the wax the seals imprent Is lyke a seale. 1835 J. Batman in Cornwallis New World (1859) I. 411, I requested the chief..to give the imprint of his mark. 1851 Longfellow Gold. Leg. v. Devil's Bridge, I showed you..a bowlder Marked with the imprint of his shoulder. |
b. fig. A character impressed upon something; an attribute communicated by, and constituting evidence of, some agency; ‘stamp’, ‘impression’.
| c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. lxxvii, The vacant leaues thy mindes imprint will beare. 1854 J. S. C. Abbott Napoleon (1855) I. xxxii. 490 He has left upon the Continent an imprint of beneficence which time can not efface. 1874 Symonds Sk. Italy & Greece (1898) I. xi. 215 The form-giver has stamped his thought..and fire has made that imprint permanent. |
c. A representation or type of something.
| 1857–8 Sears Athan. xvii. 148 Has God hung down these pictures..as the most perfect imprints of the good and fair? |
2. † a. The condition of being printed, printed form, ‘print’ (in phr. in enprinte). Obs. b. The printing of a book, etc. c. Something printed, an ‘impression’ of a writing.
| 1480 Caxton Descr. Brit. 57, I haue sette them in enprinte according to the translacion of Treuisa. 1485 ― Chas. Gt. 2, I late had fynysshed in enprynte the book of the noble & vyctoryous kyng Arthur. 1882 N. & Q. 6th Ser. V. 300/1 An imprint of a part of Roger Dodsworth's Yorkshire collections. Mod. (Review) In Mr. Martineau's opinion Zurich is the most probable place of imprint. |
3. a. The name of the publisher, place of publication, and date, printed in a book, usually at the foot of the title-page (formerly often at the end of the book); also, the name of printer and place of printing, printed at the end of the book, or on the back of the title-page: these are distinguished as the publisher's imprint and printer's imprint.
| 1790 Brit. Crit. Feb. (T.), The imprint, as it is called in technical language, ‘E Typographeo Clarendoniano’, or ‘At the Clarendon Press’. 1860 Sala Lady Chesterf. Pref. 3 Many professional critics confine their labours to reviewing the title and imprint of a book. 1893 E. G. Duff Early printed Bks. 138 From the time of Caxton's death, in 1491, to the time when his own name first appears in an imprint, Wynkyn de Worde printed five books. |
b. Extended use: see quots.
| 1876 C. A. Cutter Rules Dict. Catal. §136 The imprint consists of place of publication, publisher's name, date, number of volumes, typographic form, number of pages, and number of maps, engravings, and the like. 1972 Times Lit. Suppl. 27 Oct. 1276/5 (Advt.), Kahn & Averill (imprint of Stanmore Press Ltd.). 1973 Ibid. 2 Feb. 121/4 (Advt.), Diana Burfield who, before her resignation last summer after seventeen years with the imprint, was editorial director of Tavistock [Publications]. |
4. (With capital initial.) An old-style type face, named after the periodical for which it was designed.
| 1913 Imprint Jan. p. vi, The newly designed type in which our pages are presented to the reader was cut by the Lanston Monotype Company at our instance... The type has been christened Imprint Old Face. 1934 A. F. Johnson Type Designs iv. 120 The first acceptable book type to be cut after the Old Style of 1860 was the ‘Monotype’ Imprint of 1913. 1966 P. M. Handover in K. Day Bk. Typogr. 1815–1965 160 Imprint was a reformed Caslon, regularised on the principles that had inspired old style which now resulted in another more distinguished face. |
† II. 5. An onset, assault, charge. Cf. impression 1 b. Obs.
| c 1489 Caxton Blanchardyn xx. 62 So moche he made atte the first empraynte, that ar euere his spere was broken, he threwe doune ded syx of his enemyes. ― Four Sonnes Aymon xx. 453 Eche of theim overthrew vii knightes at that enpraynt. |
▪ II. imprint, v.
(ɪmˈprɪnt)
Forms: α. 4–6 em-, en-, -print, -prynt, -prent, 5 enpreynt, emprende, enprend. β. 5 inprent, impraynt, imprend, 5 (6 Sc.) imprent, 6 imprynt, 5– imprint.
[ME. empreynte-n, -prent-, -print-, partly a. OF. empreinte-r, -priente-r, a secondary vb. (through empreinte n.) from empreind-re (pa. pple. empreint) ‘to print, also to assaile or set on with violence’ (Cotgr.):—empriembre:—late pop. L. impremĕre, for cl. L. imprimĕre to impress, imprint; partly (in form emprende) immediately from empreind-re; the eventual form being largely due to the F. pa. pple. empreint ‘imprinted’, and the prefix conformed to L. as in imprint n.: cf. print v.]
1. a. trans. To mark by pressure; to impress, stamp (a figure, etc. on something); to delineate by pressure. In first quot., to take an impression of (a solid body).
| α c 1386 Chaucer Merch. T. 873 This fresshe May..In warm wex hath emprented [Harl. emprynted] the clyket And Damyan..The cliket countrefeted pryuely. c 1420 Lydg. Thebes 901 The Carectys of his woundes olde Upon his fete emprented wonder depe. 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) i. iii. 20 Unto whome we haue enprynted in the forhede the sygne of the crosse. |
| β c 1440 Promp. Parv. 262/1 Inprentyn (MSS. K. & S. imprentyn), inprimo. 1600 E. Blount tr. Conestaggio 26 Leaving with them a Seale which did imprint with inke this word REII. a 1631 Drayton Quest Cynthia vii, Then looking on the ground, The shape of her most dainty foot Imprinted there I found. 1670–98 R. Lassels Voy. Italy II. 22 The Volto Santo or print of our Saviour's face, which he imprinted in the handkerchief of St. Veronica. 1870 Dickens E. Drood iii, Each sometimes stops and slowly imprints a deeper footstep in the fallen leaves. |
† b. To portray (by some printing process). Obs.
| 1592 Nobody & Someb. in Simpson Sch. Shaks. (1878) I. 309 Let him be straight imprinted to the life; His picture shall be set on every stall. |
† 2. To impress (letters or characters) on paper or the like by means of type; to print (a book or writing). Obs.
| α 1474 Caxton Chesse Pref., By cause thys sayd book is ful of holsom wysedom..I have purposed to enprynte it. 1477 ― in Earl Rivers' Dictes 145 Here endeth the book named the dictes or sayengis of the philosophres enprynted by me William Caxton at Westmestre the yere of our lord .m.cccc.lxxvij. 1493 Petronilla (ad fin.), Empryntyd by Rychard Pynson. 1496 Bk. St. Albans, Fishing 41 Yf it were enpryntyd allone by itself & put in a lytyll plaunflet. 1538 Bale Thre Lawes 1971 Enprent their declaracyon. |
| β c 1500 Love & Compl. Mars & Venus (Colophon), Thys in pryntide in westmoster in kyng strete. For me Julianus Notarii. 1509 Barclay Shyp of Folys (title-p.), Inprentyd in the Cyte of London in Fletestre at the signe of Saynt George By Rycharde Pynson. 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 186 Willyam Tyndale had newly translated and imprinted the Newe Testament in Englishe. 1556 Lauder Tractate (1864) 21 Imprentit, In the yeir of God Ane m.u.c.lui. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 114 note, So are the woordes set down in three auncient copies: and not..as in some bookes it is imprinted. 1611 Bible (title-p.), Imprinted at London by Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Maiestie. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxx. 176 Clean paper, fit to receive whatsoever..shall be imprinted in them. 1709 Swift Merlin's Proph., In an old edition of Merlin's prophecies, imprinted at London..in the year 1530. |
3. fig. a. To impress on or fix in the mind, memory, etc.; formerly often, to impress on one's own mind, consider or remember carefully.
| α c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. v. metr. iv. 129 (Camb. MS.) Ymagynacions of sensible thinges weeren enpreynted [Add. MS. (a 1420) inprentid] in to sowles fro bodies with-owte forth. c 1386 ― Merch. T. 934 Ye been so depe enprented in my thoght. 1412–20 Lydg. Chron. Troy i. v, What that she sawe both in minde & thought She all emprynteth. c 1440 J. Capgrave St. Kath. iii. 580 Soo enprended it is On-to hir herte. 1493 Festivall (W. de W. 1515) 125 These vysyons were soo enprynted in this chyldes mynde. 1553 Douglas æneis xii. x. 16 Than of ane greter bargane in his entent All suddanly the figure dyd emprent [MS. imprent]. |
| β a 1420 [see α c 1374]. 1461 Paston Lett. No. 423 II. 66 Sorowe is imprended in myn hert. 1490 Caxton Eneydos xiii. 48 Desirynge the presence of Eneas by Imagynacyon impraynted wythin the fauntasme of her entendemente. 1529 More Comf. agst. Trib. ii. Wks. 1196/1 Some..haue with long and often thinking theron, imprinted that feare so sore in theyr ymaginacion. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 24 Imprint this in thy memorie. 1643 Milton Divorce ii. iv, Not otherwise then to the law of nature and of equity imprinted in us seems correspondent. 1712 Addison Spect. No. 415 ¶6 Every thing that is Majestick imprints an Awfulness and Reverence on the Mind of the Beholder. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. I. 95 It is the business of the women to notice every thing that passes, to imprint it on their memories. 1877 E. R. Conder Bas. Faith ii. 75 As we are incorrectly wont to say, imprint themselves on the memory; but to speak more justly, which memory firmly retains. |
b. To impress (a quality, character, or distinguishing mark) on or in a person or thing; to communicate, impart. In pass. of a quality, etc.: To exist strongly marked in or on a person, etc.
| 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 273 b, Why than sholde we be aboute to imprynt suche swetenesse in to carnall affeccyons? 1561 T. Norton Calvin's Inst. i. 53 Euen in the vices themselues there remain emprinted some leauinges thereof. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 60 Repugnant to sound reason, and that wisedome which the Divine hand hath imprinted in his workes. 1744 Akenside Pleas. Imag. iii. 523 God alone, when first his active hand Imprints the secret byass of the soul. 1853 J. H. Newman Hist. Sk. (1873) II. i. iii. 118 The misery and degradation which are at present imprinted on the very face of the soil. |
4. a. transf. To make an impression or impressed figure upon; to stamp or impress (something) with a figure, etc.
| c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xxii. 239 Money..Of lether emprented or of papyre. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 1 The way..sa deip imprented with the futstepis of thair foirbears. 1717 Prior Henry & Emma 655 She..sees his num'rous herds imprint her sands. 1818 M. W. Shelley Frankenst. i. (1865) 10 A land never before imprinted by the foot of man. 1856 Stanley Sinai & Pal. xiv. (1858) 452 The roche..pointed out..as imprinted with the footstep of our Saviour. |
b. fig. (transf. from 3 a and b). To impress with some feeling, quality, etc.; also of the quality, To be impressed upon, manifest itself in.
| a 1732 Gay Arachne 107 Dread omnipotence imprints his face. 1765 H. Walpole Otranto i, Manfred..had imprinted her mind with terror. |
5. Animal Behaviour. To bring about in (a social animal, usu. a young one) a state of habitual recognition of or trust in another animal or an object, which may thus come to be regarded as a parent; const. to or on the object of recognition. Also, of an animal or thing: to become established as an object of recognition or trust in the behaviour pattern of (a young animal) (quot. 1967): see imprinting vbl. n. 2. Usu. as pa. pple. imprinted.
| 1951 Ibis XCIII. 259 Young Partridges which had been caught after the fields had been mowed but were still only a few hours old had nevertheless already become definitely imprinted to their normal parents. 1956 W. H. Thorpe Learning & Instinct in Animals vi. 116 The parent Cichlid fish may become imprinted to the young as well as the young to the parent. 1963 Ibid. (ed. 2) xv. 414 If young birds are kept together in groups they are harder to imprint than if they are kept singly. 1966 R. & D. Morris Men & Apes iii. 57 Monkeys imprinted on human beings as babies will readily accept them as sexual partners on reaching maturity. 1967 M. Argyle Psychol. Interpersonal Behaviour i. 23 Dogs raised by humans, may be imprinted by them, and human babies who are reared by wolves may fail to be imprinted by humans. 1972 Nature 2 June 287/2 Many hand-reared birds become imprinted on their human handlers if isolated from their parents at an early age. 1972 Sci. Amer. Aug. 25/3 We also took wild ducklings from their natural mother 16 hours after hatching and tried to imprint them to humans. |