intermediate
intermediate: adj., n., & v. --adj. coming between two things in time, place, order, character, etc. --n.
1 an intermediate thing.
2 a chemical compound formed by one reaction and then used in another, esp. during synthesis. --v.intr. (foll. by between) act as intermediary; mediate. øintermediate frequency the frequency to which a radio signal is converted during heterodyne reception. øøintermediacy n. intermediately adv. intermediateness n. intermediation n. intermediator n. [med.L intermediatus (as INTER-, medius middle)]

infection
infection: n.
1 a the process of infecting or state of being infected. b an instance of this; an infectious disease.
2 communication of disease, esp. by the agency of air or water etc.
3 a moral contamination. b the diffusive influence of example, sympathy, etc. [ME f. OF infection or LL infectio (as INFECT)]

industrial
industrial: adj. & n. --adj.
1 of or relating to industry or industries.
2 designed or suitable for industrial use (industrial alcohol).
3 characterized by highly developed industries (the industrial nations). --n. (in pl.) shares in industrial companies. øindustrial action Brit. any action, esp. a strike or work to rule, taken by employees as a protest. industrial archaeology the study of machines, factories, bridges, etc., formerly used in industry. industrial estate Brit. an area of land developed for the siting of industrial enterprises. industrial relations the relations between management and workers in industries. the Industrial Revolution the rapid development of a nation's industry (esp. in Britain in the late 18th and early 19th c.). øøindustrially adv. [INDUSTRY + -AL: in 19th c. partly f. F industriel]

immediate
immediate: adj.
1 occurring or done at once or without delay (an immediate reply).
2 nearest, next; not separated by others (the immediate vicinity; the immediate future; my immediate neighbour).
3 most pressing or urgent (our immediate concern was to get him to hospital).
4 (of a relation or action) having direct effect; without an intervening medium or agency (the immediate cause of death).
5 (of knowledge) intuitive, gained without reasoning. øøimmediacy n. immediateness n. [ME f. F imm÷diat or LL immediatus (as IN-(1), MEDIATE)]

iconoclasm
iconoclasm: n.
1 the breaking of images.
2 the assailing of cherished beliefs. [ICONOCLAST after enthusiasm etc.]

immunity
immunity: n. (pl. -ies.
1 Med. the ability of an organism to resist infection, by means of the presence of circulating antibodies and white blood cells.
2 freedom or exemption from an obligation, penalty, or unfavourable circumstance. [ME f. L immunitas (as IMMUNE): sens.
1 f. F immunit÷]

income
income: n. the money or other assets received, esp. periodically or in a year, from one's business, lands, work, investments, etc. øincome group a section of the population determined by income. income tax a tax levied on income. [ME (orig. = arrival), prob. f. ON innkoma: in later use f. come in]

institute
institute: n. & v. --n.
1 a a society or organization for the promotion of science, education, etc. b a building used by an institute.
2 Law (usu. in pl.) a digest of the elements of a legal subject (Institutes of Justinian).
3 a principle of instruction.
4 US a brief course of instruction for teachers etc. --v.tr.
1 establish; found.
2 a initiate (an inquiry etc.). b begin (proceedings) in a court.
3 (usu. foll. by to, into) appoint (a person) as a cleric in a church etc. [ME f. L institutum design, precept, neut. past part. of instituere establish, arrange, teach (as IN-(2), statuere set up)]

illuminant
illuminant: n. & adj. --n. a means of illumination. --adj. serving to illuminate. øøilluminance n. [L illuminant- part. stem of illuminare ILLUMINATE]

ichthyosis
ichthyosis: n. a skin disease which causes the epidermis to become dry and horny like fish scales. øøichthyotic adj. [Gk ikhthus fish + -OSIS]

ikon
ikon: var. of ICON.

ignorant
ignorant: adj.
1 a lacking knowledge. b (foll. by of, in) uninformed (about a fact or subject).
2 colloq. ill-mannered, uncouth. øøignorantly adv. [ME f. OF f. L ignorare ignorant- (as IGNORE)]

implement
implement: n. & v. --n.
1 a tool, instrument, or utensil.
2 (in pl.) equipment; articles of furniture, dress, etc.
3 Law performance of an obligation. --v.tr.
1 a put (a decision, plan, etc.) into effect. b fulfil (an undertaking).
2 complete (a contract etc.).
3 fill up; supplement. øøimplementation n. [ME f. med.L implementa (pl.) f. implere employ (as IN-(2), L plere plet- fill)]

initial
initial: adj., n., & v. --adj. of, existing, or occurring at the beginning (initial stage; initial expenses). --n.
1 = initial letter.
2 (usu. in pl.) the first letter or letters of the words of a (esp. a person's) name or names. --v.tr. (initialled, initialling; US initialed, initialing) mark or sign with one's initials. øinitial letter (or consonant) a letter or consonant at the beginning of a word. initial teaching alphabet a 44-letter phonetic alphabet used to help those beginning to read and write English. øøinitially adv. [L initialis f. initium beginning f. inire init- go in]

ichneumon
ichneumon: n.
1 (in full ichneumon wasp) any small hymenopterous insect of the family Ichneumonidae, depositing eggs in or on the larva of another insect as food for its own larva.
2 a mongoose of N. Africa, Herpestes ichneumon, noted for destroying crocodile eggs. [L f. Gk ikhneumon spider-hunting wasp f. ikhneuo trace f. ikhnos footstep]

illusion
illusion: n.
1 deception, delusion.
2 a misapprehension of the true state of affairs.
3 a the faulty perception of an external object. b an instance of this.
4 a figment of the imagination.
5 = optical illusion. øbe under the illusion (foll. by that + clause) believe mistakenly. øøillusional adj. [ME f. F f. L illusio -onis f. illudere mock (as IN-(2), ludere lus- play)]

insignificant
insignificant: adj.
1 unimportant; trifling.
2 (of a person) undistinguished.
3 meaningless. øøinsignificance n. insignificancy n. insignificantly adv.

incident
incident: n. & adj. --n.
1 a an event or occurrence. b a minor or detached event attracting general attention or noteworthy in some way.
2 a hostile clash, esp. of troops of countries at war (a frontier incident).
3 a distinct piece of action in a play or a poem.
4 Law a privilege, burden, etc., attaching to an obligation or right. --adj.
1 a (often foll. by to) apt or liable to happen; naturally attaching or dependent. b (foll. by to) Law attaching to.
2 (often foll. by on, upon) (of light etc.) falling or striking. [ME f. F incident or L incidere (as IN-(2), cadere fall)]

infinitive
infinitive: n. & adj. --n. a form of a verb expressing the verbal notion without reference to a particular subject, tense, etc. (e.g. see in we came to seelet him see). --adj. having this form. øøinfinitival adj. infinitivally adv. [L infinitivus (as IN-(1), finitivus definite f. finire finit- define)]

intrusive
intrusive: adj.
1 that intrudes or tends to intrude.
2 characterized by intrusion. øøintrusively adv. intrusiveness n.

ignoble
ignoble: adj. (ignobler, ignoblest.
1 dishonourable, mean, base.
2 of low birth, position, or reputation. øøignobility n. ignobly adv. [F ignoble or L ignobilis (as IN-(1), nobilis noble)]

illuminati
illuminati: n.pl.
1 persons claiming to possess special knowledge or enlightenment.
2 (Illuminati) hist. any of various intellectual movements or societies of illuminati. øøilluminism n. illuminist n. [pl. of L illuminatus or It. illuminato past part. (as ILLUMINATE)]

isolate
isolate: v.tr.
1 a place apart or alone, cut off from society. b place (a patient thought to be contagious or infectious) in quarantine.
2 a identify and separate for attention (isolated the problem). b Chem. separate (a substance) from a mixture.
3 insulate (electrical apparatus). øøisolable adj. isolatable adj. isolator n. [orig. in past part., f. F isol÷ f. It. isolato f. LL insulatus f. L insula island]

iceman
iceman: n. (pl. -men) esp. U.
1 a man skilled in crossing ice.
2 a man who sells or delivers ice.

ignoramus
ignoramus: n. (pl. ignoramuses) an ignorant person. [L, = we do not know: in legal use (formerly of a grand jury rejecting a bill) we take no notice of it; mod. sense perh. from a character in Ruggle's Ignoramus (1615) exposing lawyers' ignorance]

impalementiceberg
iceberg: n.
1 a large floating mass of ice detached from a glacier or ice-sheet and carried out to sea.
2 an unemotional or cold-blooded person. øiceberg lettuce any of various crisp lettuces with a freely blanching head. the tip of the iceberg a small perceptible part of something (esp. a difficulty) the greater part of which is hidden. [prob. f. Du. ijsberg f. ijs ice + berg hill]

intelligent
intelligent: adj.
1 having or showing intelligence, esp. of a high level.
2 quick of mind; clever.
3 a (of a device or machine) able to vary its behaviour in response to varying situations and requirements and past experience. b (esp. of a computer terminal) having its own data-processing capability; incorporating a microprocessor (opp. DUMB). øøintelligently adv. [L intelligere intellect- understand (as INTER-, legere gather, pick out, read)]

interpret
interpret: v. (interpreted, interpreting.
1 tr. explain the meaning of (foreign or abstruse words, a dream, etc.).
2 tr. make out or bring out the meaning of (creative work).
3 intr. act as an interpreter, esp. of foreign languages.
4 tr. explain or understand (behaviour etc.) in a specified manner (interpreted his gesture as mocking). øøinterpretable adj. interpretability n. interpretation n. interpretational adj. interpretative adj. interpretive adj. interpretively adv. [ME f. OF interpreter or L interpretari explain, translate f. interpres -pretis explainer]

indecent
indecent: adj.
1 offending against recognized standards of decency.
2 unbecoming; highly unsuitable (with indecent haste). øindecent assault a sexual attack not involving rape. indecent exposure the intentional act of publicly and indecently exposing one's body, esp. the genitals. øøindecency n. (pl. -ies). indecently adv. [F ind÷cent or L indecens (as IN-(1), DECENT)]

institution
institution: n.
1 the act or an instance of instituting.
2 a a society or organization founded esp. for charitable, religious, educational, or social purposes. b a building used by an institution.
3 an established law, practice, or custom.
4 colloq. (of a person, a custom, etc.) a familiar object.
5 the establishment of a cleric etc. in a church. [ME f. OF f. L institutio -onis (as INSTITUTE)]

infliction
infliction: n.
1 the act or an instance of inflicting.
2 something inflicted, esp. a troublesome or boring experience. [LL inflictio (as INFLICT)]

instruction
instruction: n.
1 (often in pl.) a direction; an order (gave him his instructions).
2 teaching; education (took a course of instruction).
3 Law (in pl.) directions to a solicitor or counsel.
4 Computing a direction in a computer program defining and effecting an operation. øøinstructional adj. [ME f. OF f. LL instructio -onis (as INSTRUCT)]