| 释义 |
▪ I. im-1
assimilated form of the suffix in-2, before b, m, p. This assimilation took place in Latin during the later classical period, and remains in French and English (although in- (en-) was not infrequent before p in OF. and ME.). In words that survived in living use, L. in-, im- became in OF. en-, em-. These words were taken into ME. in their current Fr. form; but from the 14th c. onward, there was a marked tendency to alter the French back into the Latin form of the prefix. Hence, many words are found with both em- and im-, in some cases one, in some the other, being ultimately prevalent, while in others, as empanel, impanel, the variation still continues: see em-, and in-2. In this Dictionary, words thus varying in the prefix are treated under the prevalent spelling, or under that which analogy favours, whether em- or im-, a cross-reference being given under the other spelling. In words more recently derived from Latin (or from Italian) im- is the regular form.
Words in im- are chiefly verbs and their derivatives, and may be thus classed: a. Words in im- taken from L. (or Romanic), directly or through later French, as imbibe, imbue, imburse, immerge, immure, impact, impede, impend, implore, imprecate. b. Words in which OF. em- has been altered back to im- in AF. or Eng., as impair, impeach, implead, impoverish. c. Words formed in Eng. on the analogy of the preceding, from ns., adjs., or verbs, not only of Romanic, but also of native Eng. or other origin. The earlier of these began with em- (being the form of en- before a labial), which was afterwards altered to im- (as in b); after this, later formations arose with im- from the first. Such are, from ns., imbarge, imbrute, immantle, immould, impalace, imperil, impocket; imbark, imbarn, imbook, imbud, immind, immire, immud; from adjs., impeevish (cf. imbrutish), impoor; from verbs, imbake, imbreathe, imbrighten, impave, impight, implunge, impleach. In some of the last, im- may have been felt as a variant of in-1. For the sense expressed by the prefix, see in-2.
In words in imm-, usually only one m is pronounced; but when a rhetorical stress is laid on the prefix, or it is necessary to make plain its force in a nonce-word or an unusual word, as immind, immire, immud, both ms, or a prolonged m, may be pronounced.
▪ II. im-2
assimilated form in L. of the negative prefix in-3 before b, m, p, which retains the same form in English, as imbonity, immemorial, impossible. In imm-, only one m is ordinarily pronounced (the prefix being thus reduced to i-), but im- may be kept separate where emphasis or distinctness requires, as in im-malleable, im-mixed. |