Words

idol’atry

ig’neous — of, relating to fire

ig’nis fatuous (fach’oo.as) — something that misleads or deludes, an illusion (phosphorescent light that hovers or flits over swampy ground at night, possibly from spontaneous combustion of gases emitted by rotting organic matter

igno’ble — not noble in character, base or mean

ignora’mus 

ikebana (e.ka.ba’na) — Japanese art of formal flower arrangement with special regard to balance, harmony and form

illa’tion — act of drawing a conclusion, deduction

ill-advised

ill-bred

illegible — not legible

ill-fated

ill-humored

illic’it — not sanctioned by custom or law; unlawful

ill-mannered

ill-natured

illusion

illustrious — well known and very distinguished; eminent

Im’agism — literary movement launched by British and Am. Poets early in the 20^th c. that advocated the use of free verse, common speech patterns, and concrete images

im’itable — worthy of imitation, can be imitated

im’manent — existing or remaining within; inherent; restricted entirely to the mind, subjective

im’minent — about to occur, impending

im’pact

im’part — bestow, disclose

im’passe — no exit, cul de sac, no progress is made

im’pious — lacking reverence

im’plement

im’plicate

im’potence

im’precate — to invoke evil upon; curse

im’provise

im’pudent — marked by offensive boldness; insolent

imbalance

imbecile

imbibe

imbroglio (im.brool’yo) — difficult or intricate situation; an entanglement; confused heap

imbrue — to saturate

imbue — to inspire, permeate, or invade

immater’ial — of no importance, relevance

imme’diacy

immeas’urable

immense

immerse

immo’bile

immod’erate 

immoral

immortality

immu’table — not subject or susceptible to change

immunity

impa’tiens — ripe pods burst open when touched, hence the name

impair’ — cause to diminish, as in strength or quality

impal’pable — not perceptible to the touch, intangible; difficult to perceive or grasp by the mind

impale’

impas’sioned — full of passion, fervent

impas’to — application of thick layers of pigment in painting

impec’cable — flawless, incapable of wrongdoing

impecun’ious — lacking money, penniless

imped’iment — obstruction

impel’ — urge to action through moral pressure; drive

impen’itent — unrepentant

imper’ative — expressing a command or plea; peremptory

imper’ialism — policy of extending a nation’s authority by territorial acquisitions or by establishing economic and political hegemony over other nations

imper’ious — arrogantly domineering, overbearing, urgent, pressing

imper’meable — impossible to permeate

impercep’tible

impertinent

impertur’bable — unshakably calm and collectable

impervious — impossible to penetrate

impetuous — impulsive, passionate

impi’ety — impious

impinge — to encroach, trespass

implac’able — impossible to placate or appease

implau’sible

implic’it

implode’ — collapse inward violently

implore’ — beseech

impol’itic — not wise or expedient, not politic

imponderable — cannot undergo precise evaluation

importune’ — beset with insistent or repeated requests; entreat pressingly

imposi’tion — act of imposing

impov’erished — reduced to poverty

impreg’nable — impossible to capture or enter by force

impresar’io — one who sponsors or produces entertainment; manager, producer, director or opera co.

impress’ionable

impressionis’tic

imprima’tur — official approval or license; sanction

imprimis (im.pri’mis) — in the first place

imprison

impromp’tu

impropri’ety

improv’ident — not providing for future; thriftless; incautious, rash

imprud’ent — unwise or indiscreet; not prudent

impugn’ — to attack as false, questionable

impulsive

impun’ity — exemption from punishment, penalty or harm

impute’ — charge with fault or responsibility

in absen’tia — while or although not present

in medias res (in mee’dee es ras’) — in or into middle of sequence of events, as in literary narrative

in memoriam — in memory of

in pet’to — in secret or private

in pos’se — in potential, but not in actuality

in re (in ra’) — in regard to

in rem — against a thing, such as property, status or right, rather than against a person

in situ (in see’too) — in the original position

in’cipit — beginning or opening words of the text of a medieval manuscript or early printed book

in’cubus — evil spirit supposed to descend upon woman while they sleep and have sexual intercourse

in’digent — experiencing want or need; impoverished

in’dolent — disinclined to exert oneself; habitually lazy

In’dra (Hinduism) — principal Vedic deity assoc. with rain and thunder

in’durate — to make hard, callous

in’famous

in’ference — process of deriving logical conclusions from premises known or assumed to be true; act of reasoning from factual knowledge (NOTE: imply, conveyed without being stated outright; infer, performed by reader or interpreter in deriving conclusions that are not explicit in what is said)

in’fidel — unbeliever of religion

in’grate 

in’gress

in’solence

in’timate — to make known subtly and indirectly; hint

in’tonation — utter with a particular tone of voice

inaccessible

inadequacy

inadvertent — not duly attentive

inam’orata — a woman who one is in love with or has an intimate relationship

inane’ — lacking sense or substance

inanimate

inanities

inapproachable — not approachable

inattentive

inaud’ible — impossible to hear

inaug’urate — to cause to begin, officially or informally

inauspi’cious — not favorable

incandes’cense — emission of visible light by a hot object; high degree of emotion, intensity or brilliance

incapacitated

incar’cerate — to put into jail; shut in, confine

incar’nate — invested with bodily nature and form; personified

incarnadine (in.car’na.dine) — flesh-colored; blood-red

incen’diary — causing or capable of causing fire

inception

incessant

incho’ate — in initial or early stage; incipient; imperfectly formed or developed

inci’sive — penetrating, clear and sharp, as expression

incip’ient — beginning to exist or appear

incite

inclement — stormy, unmerciful, showing no mercy

incogni’to

incoher’ent

incompetent

incon’dite — badly constructed; crude

incon’gruent (incong’ruous)

incon’stant — fickle, faithless

inconceivable

inconclusive

inconsequen’tial — lacking importance

inconsolable (in.con.soo.lable)

inconspic’uous — not readily noticeable

incontrover’tible — impossible to disput; unquestionable

incor’rigible — incapable of being corrected

incorpor’eal (in.kawr.POR.ee.al) — no corporeal or material; insubstantial;  intangible, as a right or patent

incorporate

incred’ulous

incriminate

incubate — to develop and hatch

incul’cate — to impress upon the mind of another by frequent instruction or repetition; instill

inculpable — free of guilt; blameless

incum’bent — imposed as an obligation or a duty; currently holding an office

incunabula (in.qua.nab’ula) — book printed before 1501; artifact of an early period

incur’

incur’ious — lacking curiosity

incur’sion — raid or invasion into foreign territory

incuse’ — formed by hammering, stamping, or pressing

indec’orous — lacking propriety or good taste

indecisive

indefat’igable — tireless

indefens’ible — unpardonable; inexcusable

indel’icate — improper, offensive

indelible — impossible to remove or erase

indem’nify — insure against damage, loss or injury suffered; compensation

indenture — contract binding one person in the service of another

indescribable

indeterminate

indic’ative — serving to indicate

indict (indite) — accuse of wrongdoing; charge; formal accusation by findings of a jury

indifference

indig’enous — originating or growing in an area

indig’nant

indiscernible

indiscretion

indiscriminate

indispensable

indisposed — mildly ill; disinclined

indistinct

indite’ — to set down in writing

individualized

indoctrinate — to instruct in a body of doctrine or principles

indomitable 

indorse

indu’bitable

induce — to lead to a course by persuasion or influence

inducement

indulge

indulgent

industrious — assiduous in work or study; diligent

ine’briated

inef’fable — incapable of being expressed; indescribable or unutterable

ineffectual

inel’oquent — lacking eloquence

ineluc’table — not to be avoided or escaped; inevitable

inept

ineq’uitable — not equitable; unfair

ineq’uity — injustice, unfairness

inequal’ity — unfairness

iner’tia — tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force.

inert’ — unable to move or act

ines’timable — impossible to estimate or compute

inev’itable — impossible to avoid or prevent

inex’orable — incapable of being persuaded by entreaty; relentless

inex’plicable — difficult or impossible to account for

inex’tricable — so intricate or entangled as to make escape impossible

inexten’so — at full length

inextir’pable — difficult or impossible to eradicate or destroy

inextre’mis — (adv.) at the point of death; in grave or extreme circumstances

infal’lible

infancy

infantile

infec’tious — easily or readily communicated (infectious laugh)

infer’nal — fiendish, diabolical

infidel’ity — lack of loyalty

infiltrate

infinites’imal — immeasurable

infinity

infirm

inflame

influx

informality

infra dig — beneath one’s dignity

infrang’ible — difficult or impossible to break or separate into parts

infringe

infuriate

infusion

ing’ot — casting mold for metal; mass of metal cast in standard shape for convenient storage

ingen’ious

ingen’uous — lacking sophistication; naive

ingénue — artless, innocent young woman

ingenuity

ingest

ingra’tiate — bring  into another’s favor deliberately

ingrained

inhabitant

inherent

inhibit

inhibitor — something that inhibits, as substance that stops a chemical reaction

inhos’pitable

inim’ical — injurious or harmful in effect; adverse

inim’itable — defying imitation; matchless

iniq’uitous — wicked

iniq’uity — gross immorality or injustice; wickedness

initiate

inject

injudic’ious

injunction — act of enjoining; a command, directive, or order

injur’ious

inkling

innate

innermost — most intimate, as in feelings

innervate — to stimulate to action (supply body part with nerves)

innoc’uous

innovative

innuendo

innumerable

inoc’ulate

inopportune’

inor’dinate — exceeding reasonable limits

inpen’etrable

inquest

inqui’etude — state of restlessness, uneasiness

inquisition

inquisitive

inroads

insatiable

inscrut’able — difficult to fathom or understand

insecure

insem’inate — to sow seed

insen’sate — lacking sensation or awarenss; lacking sense or the power to reason; foolish

insentient (in.sen’shent) — devoid of sensation or consiousness; inanimate

inseparable

insessor’ial — perching or adapted for perching

insid’ious — treacherous, harmful

insig’nia — badge of office, rank, membership or nationality; emblem

insightful

insinuate

insip’id — lacking flavor, excitement, stimulation or interest; dull

insip’ience

insol’uable — that cannot be dissolved

insolvent — unable to meet debts or discharge liabilities

insomnia

insouciant (in.sou’se.ent) — marked by blithe unconcern; nonchalent

inspire

inspis’sate — to undergo thickening or cause to thicken, as by boiling or evaporation; condense

instability

installment

instantaneous

instaura’tion — renovation, restoration; institution or establishment of something

instep — arched middle part of the foot

instigate

instill — to introduce by gradual, persistent efforts; implant

instinctive

institute

insufferable

insufficient

insulin — hormone secreted by the islets of Langerhans and regulating the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, esp. the conversion of glucose to glycogen; any of pharm. preps containing this hormone, used to treat diabetes

insurgence — act of rebellion; insurrection

insurmountable

intaglio (in.tal’yo) — figure or design carved into or beneath the surface of hard metal or stone

intangible

intar’sia — mosaic in wood; decorative, inlaid pattern

integ’ument — natural outer covering, such as a membrane

integral

integrate

integrity

intellectualize

intemperance — excessive, esp. with alcohol

inter alia (in.ter.aa’lee.a) — among other things

inter’ — bury

inter’calary — to insert a month or day into a calendar

inter’minable — endless

inter’polate — to insert into a text or conversation

inter’stice — a small or narrow space, between things or parts

intercede

interchange

intercourse

interdict’ — to prohibit, forbid

interdisciplinary — involving two disciplines that are usually considered distinct

interface

interim

interject

interlace

interlocution

interloper

interlude

intermediary

intermez’zo — brief entertainment between two acts of a play; entr’acte

intermittent

internal rhyme — rhyme within a line of verse

internalize

internec’ine — relating to struggle within nation, organization, or group; mutually destructive; char. by bloodshed and carnage

interplay

interpose — place between parts

interpret

interrogate

intersession — between to academic sessions

intersperse — distribute at intervals

intertwine

intervene

intes’tate — having made no legal will

intimidate

intolerant

intox’icant

intract’able — difficult to manage or govern; stubborn

intran’sigent — refusing to moderate a position; uncompromising

intravenously

intrepid

intricacy

intrigue

intrinsic

intrusive

intuit

intumes’cence — act or process of swelling; swollen organ or body part, as in his intumescent penis

inure — to habituate to something

inva’sive

inval’idate

invec’tive — vituperation; denunciatory or abusive language

invei’gle — coaxing flattery or artful talk

inveigh’ (a) — protest vehemently

invest’iture — adornment or cover; act of bestowing the the authority and symbols of a high office

invet’erate — firmly and long established

invid’ious — tending to rouse ill-will

invig’orate

invincible

invoca’tion — act of invoking

invoke’

invulnerable

io’ta — ninth letter of greek alphabet; small amount

ip’se dix’it — unsupported assertion; usually by person of standing (he himself said it)

ipso facto — by the fact itself; that very fact

ipso jur’e — by the law itself

ir’ritable

iras’cible

ire

irides’cent — producing a display of luscious rainbow like colors

irksome

irrad’icable — impossible to destroy

irreconci’lable

irredee’mable

irreduc’ible

irref’utable — impossible to disprove, refute

irrel’evance

irrep’arable

irrepress’ible — difficult or impossible to control or restrain

irres’olute — unsure of how to act; undecided

irrev’erent

is’suance

isth’mus — strip of land connecting two larger masses of land

it’erate

italicize

itin’erant — traveling from place to place

itinerary

Ixion (ik’si.en) — gk myth; a king of Thessaly whom Zeus punished for his temerity in seeking Hera’s love by having him bound to a revolving wheel in Hades.