imprest
1 Americannoun
verb
verb
noun
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a fund of cash from which a department or other unit pays incidental expenses, topped up periodically from central funds
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an advance from government funds for the performance of some public business or service
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(formerly) an advance payment of wages to a sailor or soldier
Etymology
Origin of imprest
First recorded in 1560–70; probably noun use of obsolete verb imprest “to advance money to,” from Italian imprestare, from Medieval Latin imprestāre “to lend,” from Latin im- prefix + praestāre “to tender, offer, present”; influenced in sense by praes, stem praed- “guarantor, one acting as surety”; see im- 1, pre-; see origin at stand
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And as two zones the northern heaven restrain, The southern two, and one the hotter midst, With five the Godhead girt th' inclosed earth, And climates five upon its face imprest.
From The Metamorphoses of Publius Ovidus Naso in English blank verse Vols. I & II by Howard, J. J.
I know of no other use of the word "imprest" as a substantive; and though we see "debenture" often enough in railway reports, I cannot perceive the analogy between its meanings in the two cases.
From Notes and Queries, Number 33, June 15, 1850 by Various
While pity prompts the rising sigh, With awful power imprest; May this dread truth, "I too must die," Sink deep in every breast.
From Masonic Monitor of the Degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason together with the Ceremony of Installation, Laying Corner Stones, Dedications, Masonic Burial, Etc. by Thornburgh, George
Allowing for the changes produced by time, I think sufficient analogy may be found between the ancient and modern uses of the words "imprest" and "debenture."
From Notes and Queries, Number 37, July 13, 1850 by Various
He whose thoughts are imprest vividly on the surface is always placed at a glaring disadvantage.
From Common Sense, How to Exercise It by Yoritomo-Tashi, Mme. Blanchard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
