| hyssop | n. | aromatic herb of the genus Hyssopus; Biblical plant, perhaps related to oregano, whose twigs were used in Jewish rituals for sprinkling | ||
| hysteresis | n. | the lag of magnetic effects behind their causes; system phenomenon in which present reaction to change is dependent upon past reactions to change | ||
| hythe | n. | river landing spot, small port or harbor | British | |
| ibogaine | n. | hallucinogenic alkaloid derived from West African members of the dogbane family | ||
| ice-cream suit | n. | man’s light suit of white, or light pastel | ||
| iceblink | n. | brightness in sky caused by light reflection off of sea ice or glaciers | ||
| ichneumon | n. | Egyptian mongoose; parasitic wasp or other insect which lays its eggs in the larvae or pupae of other insects | ||
| iconoclast | n. | destroyer of religious images; one who criticizes or attacks orthodoxy; independent thinker | ||
| icterine | adj. | yellowish color, jaundice yellow | ||
| ictus | n. | metrical stress; epileptic seizure; stroke | ||
| idiolect | n. | an individual’s particular speech pattern | ||
| idiolect | n. | the peculiar speech patterns of an individual | ||
| ilex | n. | holm oak, evergreen oak; holly | ||
| illation | n. | conclusion, inference, deduction | ||
| illeism | n. | referring to oneself in the third person | ||
| illude | v. | to trick, to deceive; to mock | ||
| imbricate | v. | to overlap, as in roof tiles | ||
| imbrute | v. | to transform or devolve into a brute; to make brutal | ||
| immie | n. | marble | informal | |
| immiserate | v. | to make impoverished; to make miserable | ||
| immure | v. | to imprison, to confine within walls | ||
| imp | v. | to engraft, to implant; (falconry) to graft feathers into a damaged wing so as to restore or improve flight | ||
| impecunious | adj. | penniless, poor | ||
| impedimenta | n. | encumbrances; baggage; traveling equipment | ||
| impendent | adj. | impending, imminent | ||
| impennous | adj. | without wings | ||
| imperator | n. | title conferred upon victorious general in Republican Rome; title for the Roman emperor; absolute ruler | ||
| impermeable | adj. | not allowing fluids to pass through | ||
| impervious | adj. | not capable of being affected or influenced | ||
| impi | n. | Zulu warrior unit | ||
| import | n. | meaning; significance | ||
| impostume | n. | purulent swelling, abscess; moral festering sore | ||
| imprecation | n. | act of cursing or invoking evil upon | ||
| imprescripible | adj. | absolute, incapable of being taken away by law | ||
| imprest | n. | advanced monies; regularly replenished fund of money for small expenses | ||
| impropriate | v. | to transfer Church property to a layperson; to take or claim for private use | ||
| impudically | adv. | immodestly | ||
| impudicity | n. | shamelessness, reckless lack of modesty | ||
| in good nick | adj. | in good condition | ||
| in pectore | adj. | “in the breast” or “in the heart”, term used by Catholic Church to denote secret actions | Latin | |
| in pig | adj. | (of a sow) pregnant | idiom | |
| in posse | adv. | potentially (as contrasted with actually) | Latin | |
| in statu nascendi | adj. | not yet fully formed, nascent | Latin | |
| inadvertent | adj. | unintentional; heedless | ||
| inamorata | n. | female lover | ||
| inapprehension | n. | lack of apprehension, want of grasping or perception; absence of anticipation | ||
| inapt | adj. | inappropriate, not suitable; incapable, unskillful | ||
| inbred | adj. | resulting from inbreeding | ||
| inchmeal | adv. | extremely slowly, by inches, little by little | ||
| inchoate | adj. | incipient, not yet fully formed, unordered |
