imprimatur
[ im-pri-mah-ter, -mey-, -prahy- ]
/ ˌɪm prɪˈmɑ tər, -ˈmeɪ-, -praɪ- /
Save This Word!
noun
an official license to print or publish a book, pamphlet, etc., especially a license issued by a censor of the Roman Catholic Church.Compare nihil obstat.
sanction or approval; support: Our plan has the company president's imprimatur.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”
Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.
Question 1 of 7
Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?
Origin of imprimatur
First recorded in 1630–40; from New Latin: literally, “let it be printed,” Latin: literally, “let it be made by pressing upon (something)”; see impress1
Words nearby imprimatur
impressive aphasia, impressment, impressure, imprest, imprest fund, imprimatur, imprimis, imprint, imprinter, imprinting, imprison
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for imprimatur
British Dictionary definitions for imprimatur
imprimatur
/ (ˌɪmprɪˈmeɪtə, -ˈmɑː-) /
noun
RC Church a licence granted by a bishop certifying the Church's approval of a book to be published
sanction, authority, or approval, esp for something to be printed
Word Origin for imprimatur
C17: New Latin, literally: let it be printed
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012