%impos%

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]