Etymology: < import v. Compare earlier importance n., and (with the senses of branch II.) export n.In early use the stress apparently varied between the first and second syllables; for metrical evidence for the former, compare e.g. quot. 1781 at sense 2, for the latter, quots. 1706 at sense 1, a1616 at sense 2.

Etymology: < (i) Middle French importer (French importer ) to bring in or cause to be brought in (a commodity, merchandise, goods, etc.) from another country or territory for use or resale in the domestic market (1396; rare before 1669), to be important, to be relevant (1587; 1530 as emporter ), to make (something) necessary, to entail (something) (1536 in importer à quelque chose ), to concern, be of importance to (a person or thing) (1543), and its ultimate etymon (ii) classical Latin importāre to carry or bring in, to bring about, cause, in post-classical Latin also to imply, to mean (frequently from 13th cent. in British sources; from 14th cent. in continental sources), to have value (from 1449 in continental sources) < im- im- prefix¹ + portāre to carry (see port v.²). In senses 7 and 8 after Middle French, French emporter to gain, to obtain (a prize, victory) (c1260 in Old French as †enporter ; < en- en- prefix¹ + porter to carry, bear: see port v.²), by confusion of the prefixes em- prefix and im- prefix¹ in English; this French verb shows other relevant senses earlier than importer , e.g.: to carry (something) from one place to another (10th cent. as †en porter ), to entail (something), imply (something), have (something) as consequence (1283), to be emotionally affected or overwhelmed (1632, reflexive). In sense 9 probably an error for importune v. (compare importune v. 6).Middle French importer is probably partly an alteration (after Italian importare ) of emporter , partly < Italian importare , and partly directly < classical Latin importāre . Italian importare (a1308; < classical Latin importāre ) is attested in most of the senses and syntactic constructions of the English and French verbs, and Italian appears to have been the language in which the reflex of classical Latin importāre first developed a large number of senses relating to significance, importance, and implication. Senses of the Italian verb include: to entail (something), imply (something), have (something) as consequence (a1308), to denote, represent, refer to (something) (a1308), to require (something) as a condition (first half of the 14th cent.), to concern (something) (a1451), to be important, to be relevant (a1451; also in impersonal construction), to be useful or suitable (1516), to concern (a person), to be of importance to (a person) (a1527 in importare a ; from a1606 frequently in negative contexts and impersonal constructions, expressing indifference). Compare also Catalan importar (15th cent.), Spanish importar (15th cent.), Portuguese importar (1501). The sense ‘to bring in (goods) from another country’ is first attested much later than in English in all Romance languages except French, and even in French use in this meaning appears largely to reflect influence from English. With the uses in impersonal constructions in sense 6 compare similar uses in French from the late 16th cent., in Italian from the 15th cent., and in Spanish from the late 15th cent. Form history. The existence of English forms with initial em- alongside the more common type with initial im- may partly be due to the influence of Middle French emporter, although compare the more widespread coexistence of the two prefixes em- prefix and im- prefix¹ in Middle English and early modern English.