entry
imbue
/ɪmˈbjuː/soak through; instill deeply
From Latin imbu (to moisten).
from Latin imbuere "moisten, wet, soak, saturate," figuratively "to fill; to taint," a word of uncertain origin,...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin imbuere "moisten, wet, soak, saturate," figuratively "to fill; to taint," a word of uncertain origin,...
from Latin imbuere "moisten, wet, soak, saturate," figuratively "to fill; to taint," a word of uncertain origin,...
Word Ancestry
from Latin imbuere "moisten, wet, soak, saturate," figuratively "to fill; to taint," a word of uncertain origin,...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin imbuere "moisten, wet, soak, saturate," figuratively "to fill; to taint," a word of uncertain origin,...
from Latin imbuere "moisten, wet, soak, saturate," figuratively "to fill; to taint," a word of uncertain origin,...
This is one of those words that starts out with plain old wetness and then sneaks into the mind. Latin speakers used imbuere for soaking cloth, but also for filling something up so thoroughly that the new substance seemed to live there. English picked it up in the early 1400s, and the figurative sense came along almost immediately: opinions, moods, beliefs—anything can be 'soaked into' a person. It sits next to imbibe, which is why the word feels as if it ought to be about drinking; even the dictionary trail hints that imbibere may have nudged the English form along. So when a novel is imbued with sadness, picture ink bleeding through parchment until the whole page has changed color.
The Story
This is one of those words that starts out with plain old wetness and then sneaks into the mind. Latin speakers used imbuere for soaking cloth, but also for filling something up so thoroughly that the new substance seemed to live there. English picked it up in the early 1400s, and the figurative sense came along almost immediately: opinions, moods, beliefs—anything can be 'soaked into' a person. It sits next to imbibe, which is why the word feels as if it ought to be about drinking; even the dictionary trail hints that imbibere may have nudged the English form along. So when a novel is imbued with sadness, picture ink bleeding through parchment until the whole page has changed color.
Kin & Kindred
From 'imbu'·to moisten, soak, saturate
Derived Terms
English words from this root