innings
innings: n. (pl. same or colloq. inningses.
1 esp. Cricket a the part of a game during which a side is in or batting. b the play of or score achieved by a player during a turn at batting.
2 a period during which a government, party, cause, etc. is in office or effective.
3 a a period during which a person can achieve something. b colloq. a person's life span (had a good innings and died at 94).

importance
importance: n.
1 the state of being important.
2 weight, significance.
3 personal consequence; dignity. [F f. med.L importantia (as IMPORT)]

iconology
iconology: n.
1 an artistic theory developed from iconography (see ICONOGRAPHY 2b).
2 symbolism.

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

independent
independent: adj. & n. --adj.
1 a (often foll. by of) not depending on authority or control. b self-governing.
2 a not depending on another person for one's opinion or livelihood. b (of income or resources) making it unnecessary to earn one's living.
3 unwilling to be under an obligation to others.
4 Polit. not belonging to or supported by a party.
5 not depending on something else for its validity, efficiency, value, etc. (independent proof).
6 (of broadcasting, a school, etc.) not supported by public funds.
7 (Independent) hist. Congregational. --n.
1 a person who is politically independent.
2 (Independent) hist. a Congregationalist. independently adv.

illation
illation: n.
1 a deduction or conclusion.
2 a thing deduced. [L illatio f. illatus past part. of inferre INFER]

interval
interval: n.
1 an intervening time or space.
2 Brit. a pause or break, esp. between the parts of a theatrical or musical performance.
3 the difference in pitch between two sounds.
4 the distance between persons or things in respect of qualities. at intervals here and there; now and then. intervallic adj. [ME ult. f. L intervallum space between ramparts, interval (as INTER-, vallum rampart)]

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

inside
inside: n., adj., adv., & prep. --n.
1 a the inner side or surface of a thing. b the inner part; the interior.
2 a (of a path) the side next to the wall or away from the road. b (of a double-decker bus) the lower section.
3 (usu. in pl.) colloq. the stomach and bowels (something wrong with my insides).
4 colloq. a position affording inside information (knows someone on the inside). --adj.
1 situated on or in, or derived from, the inside.
2 Football & Hockey nearer to the centre of the field (inside forward; inside left; inside right). --adv.
1 on, in, or to the inside.
2 sl. in prison. --prep.
1 on the inner side of; within (inside the house).
2 in less than (inside an hour). inside country Austral. settled areas near the coast. inside information information not accessible to outsiders. inside job colloq. a crime committed by a person living or working on the premises burgled etc. inside of colloq.
1 in less than (a week etc.).
2 Brit. the middle part of. inside out with the inner surface turned outwards. inside trac.
1 the track which is shorter, because of the curve.
2 a position of advantage. know a thing inside out know a thing thoroughly. turn inside ou.
1 turn the inner surface outwards.
2 colloq. cause confusion or a mess in. [IN + SIDE]

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. be under the illusion (foll. by that + clause) believe mistakenly. illusional adj. [ME f. F f. L illusio -onis f. illudere mock (as IN-(2), ludere lus- play)]

important
important: adj.
1 (often foll. by to) of great effect or consequence; momentous.
2 (of a person) having high rank or status, or great authority.
3 pretentious, pompous.
4 (absol. in parenthetic construction) what is a more important point or matter (they are willing and, more important, able). Use of importantly here is disp. importantly adv. (see note above). [F f. med.L (as IMPORT)]

import
import: v. & n. --v.tr.
1 bring in (esp. foreign goods or services) to a country.
2 (often foll. by that + clause) a imply, indicate, signify. b express, make known. --n.
1 the process of importing.
2 a an imported article or service. b (in pl.) an amount imported (imports exceeded 50m.).
3 what is implied; meaning.
4 importance. importable adj. importation n. importer n. (all in sens.
1 of v.). [ME f. L importare bring in, in med.L = imply, be of consequence (as IN-(2), portare carry)]

ignite
ignite: v.
1 tr. set fire to; cause to burn.
2 intr. catch fire.
3 tr. Chem. heat to the point of combustion or chemical change.
4 tr. provoke or excite (feelings etc.). ignitable adj. ignitability n. ignitible adj. ignitibility n. [L ignire ignit- f. ignis fire]

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. illuminism n. illuminist n. [pl. of L illuminatus or It. illuminato past part. (as ILLUMINATE)]

incubus
incubus: n. (pl. incubuses or incubi.
1 an evil spirit supposed to descend on sleeping persons.
2 a nightmare.
3 a person or thing that oppresses like a nightmare. [ME f. LL, = L incubo nightmare (as INCUBATE)]

iceberg
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. iceberg 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]

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

inhere
inhere: v.intr. (often foll. by in.
1 exist essentially or permanently in (goodness inheres in that child).
2 (of rights etc.) be vested in (a person etc.). [L inhaerere inhaes- (as IN-(2), haerere to stick)]

interior
interior: adj. & n. --adj.
1 inner (opp. EXTERIOR).
2 remote from the coast or frontier; inland.
3 internal; domestic (opp. FOREIGN).
4 (usu. foll. by to) situated further in or within.
5 existing in the mind or soul; inward.
6 drawn, photographed, etc. within a building.
7 coming from inside. --n.
1 the interior part; the inside.
2 the interior part of a country or region.
3 a the home affairs of a country. b a department dealing with these (Minister of the Interior).
4 a representation of the inside of a building or a room (Dutch interior).
5 the inner nature; the soul. interior angle the angle between adjacent sides of a rectilinear figure. interior decoration (or design) the decoration or design of the interior of a building, a room, etc. interior monologue a form of writing expressing a character's inner thoughts. interior-sprung (of a mattress etc.) with internal springs. interiorize v.tr. (also -ise). interiorly adv. [L, compar. f. inter among]

ichthyosaurus
ichthyosaurus: n. (also ichthyosaur) any extinct marine reptile of the order Ichthyosauria, with long head, tapering body, four flippers, and usu. a large tail. [ICHTHYO- + Gk sauros lizard]

intrinsic
intrinsic: adj. inherent, essential; belonging naturally (intrinsic value). intrinsically adv. [ME, = interior, f. F intrinsque f. LL intrinsecus f. L intrinsecus (adv.) inwardly]

inventory
inventory: n. & v. --n. (pl. -ies.
1 a complete list of goods in stock, house contents, etc.
2 the goods listed in this.
3 US the total of a firm's commercial assets. --v.tr. (-ies, -ied.
1 make an inventory of.
2 enter (goods) in an inventory. [ME f. med.L inventorium f. LL inventarium (as INVENT)]

investment
investment: n.
1 the act or process of investing.
2 money invested.
3 property etc. in which money is invested.
4 the act of besieging; a blockade. investment trust a trust that buys and sells shares in selected companies to make a profit for its members.

income
income: n. the money or other assets received, esp. periodically or in a year, from one's business, lands, work, investments, etc. income 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]

iguana
iguana: n. any of various large lizards of the family Iguanidae native to America, the W. Indies, and the Pacific islands, having a dorsal crest and throat appendages. [Sp. f. Carib iwana]

illiterate
illiterate: adj. & n. --adj.
1 unable to read.
2 uneducated. --n. an illiterate person. illiteracy n. illiterately adv. illiterateness n. [L illitteratus (as IN-(1), litteratus LITERATE)]

impressionism
impressionism: n.
1 a style or movement in art concerned with expression of feeling by visual impression, esp. from the effect of light on objects.
2 a style of music or writing that seeks to describe a feeling or experience rather than achieve accurate depiction or systematic structure. impressionist n. [F impressionnisme (after Impression: Soleil levant, title of a painting by Monet, 1872)]

incantation
incantation: n.
1 a a magical formula. b the use of this.
2 a spell or charm. incantational adj. incantatory adj. [ME f. OF f. LL incantatio -onis f. incantare chant, bewitch (as IN-(2), cantare sing)]

ignominious
ignominious: adj.
1 causing or deserving ignominy.
2 humiliating. ignominiously adv. ignominiousness n. [ME f. F ignominieux or L ignominiosus]

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. infinitival adj. infinitivally adv. [L infinitivus (as IN-(1), finitivus definite f. finire finit- define)]

induction
induction: n.
1 the act or an instance of inducting or inducing.
2 Med. the process of bringing on (esp. labour) by artificial means.
3 Logic a the inference of a general law from particular instances (cf. DEDUCTION). b Math. a means of proving a theorem by showing that if it is true of any particular case it is true of the next case in a series, and then showing that it is indeed true in one particular case. c (foll. by of) the production of (facts) to prove a general statement.
4 (often attrib.) a formal introduction to a new job, position, etc. (attended an induction course).
5 Electr. a the production of an electric or magnetic state by the proximity (without contact) of an electrified or magnetized body. b the production of an electric current in a conductor by a change of magnetic field.
6 the drawing of a fuel mixture into the cylinders of an internal-combustion engine.
7 US enlistment for military service. induction-coil a coil for generating intermittent high voltage from a direct current. induction heating heating by an induced electric current. [ME f. OF induction or L inductio (as INDUCE)]

ignorerinfluenzalicing
icing: n.
1 a coating of sugar etc. on a cake or biscuit.
2 the formation of ice on a ship or aircraft. icing on the cake an attractive though inessential addition or enhancement. icing sugar Brit. finely powdered sugar for making icing for cakes etc.

instance
instance: n. & v. --n.
1 an example or illustration of (just another instance of his lack of determination).
2 a particular case (that's not true in this instance).
3 Law a legal suit. --v.tr. cite (a fact, case, etc.) as an instance. at the instance of at the request or suggestion of. court of first instance Law a court of primary jurisdiction. for instance as an example. in the first (or second etc.) instance in the first (or second etc.) place; at the first (or second etc.) stage of a proceeding. [ME f. OF f. L instantia (as INSTANT)]

ignorance
ignorance: n. (often foll. by of) lack of knowledge (about a thing). [ME f. OF f. L ignorantia (as IGNORANT)]

incorrect
incorrect: adj.
1 not in accordance with fact; wrong.
2 (of style etc.) improper, faulty. incorrectly adv. incorrectness n. [ME f. OF or L incorrectus (as IN-(1), CORRECT)]

ileostomy
ileostomy: n. (pl. -ies) a surgical operation in which the ileum is brought through the abdominal wall to create an artificial opening for the evacuation of the intestinal contents. [ILEUM + Gk stoma mouth]