The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (38 page)

hydrophobia (hidrofobia) GREEK
[hudrophobos water-fearing] noun rabies, or the morbid fear of water that
accompanies the disease: "`Water!' cried
the captain; he never drinks it; it's a sort of
fits to him; fresh water throws him into the
hydrophobia; but go on go on with the
arm story"' (Herman Melville, MobyDick, 1851).

hyper- (hipar) GREEK [over] prefix
over or excessively, e.g., hyperactive,
hypercritical.

hyperbole (hierbolee) GREEK [overshooting, excess, from hyper over
and ballein to throw] noun (plural
hyperboles) extravagant exaggeration or overstatement: "Id marry
the W of Babylon rather than do anything dishonourable! No reflection on
you, my dear. It is a mere rhetorical figure
what they call in the books, hyperbole"' (Thomas Hardy, Jude the Obscure,
1895).

hypochondriac (hipokondriak) GREEK
[hypochondria under the cartilage,
the abdomen] noun a person who
suffers from hypochondria, depression caused by imaginary physical
ailments (originally believed to be
seated in the abdomen): "He was
clearly a confirmed hypochondriac, and I
was dreamily conscious that he was pouring forth interminable trains of symptoms,
and imploring information as to the
composition and action of innumerable quack nostrums, some of which he bore
about in a leather case in his pocket"
(Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of
Four, 1890).

hypostasis (hyostasis) GREEK [hyphistasthai to stand under, support] noun
(plural hypostases, hipostaseez)
sediment in a fluid; in philosophy,
the foundations of reality; in theology, the union of the divine and

human natures in the person of Jesus
Christ.

hypothesis (hiasis) GREEK [hypotithenai to suppose, put under] noun
(plural hypotheses, hipothaseez) a
theory or proposition advanced for
the sake of argument or in order
to test its validity: "Several
dferent hypotheses have been proposed to explain
the origins of human language."

La. See IN ABSENTIA; INTER ALIA.

ibidem (ibidem, ibadem) LATIN [in
the same place] adverb in the same
place, often used in footnotes to
indicate references to the same book,
chapter or page of a book, or author
'"abbreviated form ib. or ibid.

ich then (ik deean) GERMAN [I serve]
noun I serve, the motto of the
Prince of Wales: "He bore as his crest
three white ostrich feathers, with the
motto ICH DIEN, signifying in English
I serve.' This crest and motto were taken
by the Prince of Wales in remembrance of
that famous day, and have been borne by
the Prince of Wales ever since." (Charles
Dickens, A Child's History of England,
1854).

I Ching (ee dung) CHINESE [from
yijing book of changes] noun
phrase an ancient Chinese book of
divination, based on a set of eight
trigrams and 64 hexagrams, along
with commentaries, which embodies
Taoist and Confucian philosophy.

icon (-Ikon) GREEK [eikon likeness,
from eikenai to resemble] noun a pictorial representation, often a religious
image and an object of reverence or
(in computing) a symbol representing an option for selection, and more
generally any person, event, or thing
that achieves symbolic or cult status:
"Since her death, Princess Diana has been
revered almost as an icon."

Id (id) LATIN [it] noun in psychoanalytic theory, the part of the psyche
in which an individual's inherited,
instinctive impulses reside: "Freud's
writings on the id had a lasting effect
upon analysis, and their influence is still
profound today."

Id See EID.

Id. see IDEM.

idee fixe (iday feeks) FRENCH [fixed
idea] noun phrase (plural idees fixes)
an obsession or set idea: "The duke
has some idee fixe about marrying a
commoner."

idee revue (iday resoo, eeday resoo)
FRENCH [received idea] noun phrase
(plural idees revues) a view or
opinion that is generally accepted and
rarely subjected to critical analysis,
even though it may be outdated or
otherwise invalid.

idem (idem, idem) LATIN [the same]
pronoun something already mentioned
(as in a document), usually a reference
to an author or book previously cited:
"Freda Johnson, Revolution in Farming,
1985; idem, Agricultural Techniques,
1997." -abbreviated form id.

idem quod (idem kwod, idem kwod)
LATIN [the same through the same]
pronoun the same as, namely. "abbreviated form I.Q. or i.q.

idem sonans (idem sonans, idem
sonans) LATIN [sounding the same]
adjective in legal terminology, the
rule that the wrong spelling of an
important word in a document does
not invalidate the document, if the
mistakenly spelled word sounds the
same as the intended word.

id est (id est) LATIN [that is] adverb
phrase that is, that is to say. "abbreviated form i.e.

idiot savant (idyo savon ) FRENCH
[learned idiot] noun phrase (plural
idiots savants or idiot savants) a
person who displays brilliance in a
particular field, despite being other

wise slow, ignorant, or mentally
deficient: "The doctor made one of the
first real studies of the mysterious genius
of those who have often been dubbed
`idiots savants."'

i.e. See ID EST.

igloo (igloo) INUIT [from iglu house]
noun (plural igloos) a temporary
dome-shaped Inuit shelter made from
blocks of packed snow; also used of
similarly-shaped structures made in
other materials: "It takes just a few
hours to complete an igloo using traditional ice saws."

ignis fatuus (ignis fachawas) LATIN
[foolish fire] noun phrase (plural ignes
fatui, ignez fachawee) a will-of-thewisp, a ghostly phosphorescent light
resulting from burning methane emitted by decomposing organic material
occasionally seen over marshy ground;
also used more generally to refer to
anything deceptive or misleading:
"When they were clear of the priory, and
had gained the little meadow in which
it stands, Dousterswivel could perceive the
torches which had caused him so much
alarm issuing in irregular procession from
the ruins, and glancing their light, like that
of the ignisfatuus, on the banks of the lake"
(Walter Scott, The Antiquary, 1816).

ignoramus (ignar4mas) LATIN [we
do not know] noun (plural ignoramuses, ignarmasiz, or ignorami,
ignarmee) a stupid or ignorant person: "I get your idea, Sandy. He
couldn't interest me. He would be an
ignoramus in such things he would bore
me, and I would bore him" (Mark Twain,
Captain Stormfreld, 1909).

ignorantia juris neminem excusat
(ignorantia vooris neminem eksyoozat)
LATIN [ignorance of the law excuses
no one] noun phrase ignorance of
the law does not constitute a valid
defense for a person who breaks the
law.

IHS (i aych es) LATIN [from Jesus
Hominum Salvator Jesus, Savior of Men]
abbreviation Christian symbol for
Jesus.

ikebana (ikabahna, ikeebahna, ikibahna)) JAPANESE [flower arranging,
from ikeru to arrange and hana flower]
noun the Japanese art of flower
arranging.

illuminati (iloominahtee) ITALIAN [plural of illuminato, enlightened, from
Latin illuminates lighted, illuminated]
plural noun those who have, or claim
to have, special knowledge of a subject: "The prophets are employed in excusing the ways of men. Most reverend seniors,
the illuminati of the age, tell me, with a
gracious, reminiscent smile, betwixt an
aspiration and a shudder, not to be too tender about these things to lump all that,
that is, make a lump of gold of it" (Henry
David Thoreau, Lfe Without Principle,
1863).

imago (imahgo,imia go) LATIN [image,
copy] noun (plural imagoes, imahgoz,
iigoz, or imagines, imahganeez,
iiganeez, ijaneez) an insect in
its mature, winged state of development; also an idealized, unconscious
self-image.

imago Del (imaygo c ee, imahgo
daveC) LATIN [image of God] noun
phrase (in Christianity and Judaism)
the concept that human beings are
created in the image of God.

imam (imahm, eemahm) ARABIC
[leader, from ammo to lead the way]
noun the officiating priest who leads
the prayers in a mosque, or more
generally a religious, political,
or ideological leader in a Muslim
country, in the case of Shiite Islam
claiming descent from Muhammad
himself.

imbroglio (imbrolio), embroglio
ITALIAN [muddle, from imbrogliare to
entangle, confuse] noun (plural imbroglios, embroglios) a state of confusion resulting in embarrassment,
perplexity, misunderstanding, or
brawling: "It was appointed of Fate that,
in this wide-weltering, strangely growing,
monstrous stupendous imbroglio of Convention Business, the grand First-Parent of
all the questions, controversies, measures
and enterprises which were to be evolved
there to the world's astonishment, should
be this Question of King Louis" (Thomas Carlyle, History of the French Revolution,
1837).

imp See IMPRIMATUR.

impasse (impas, ampas) FRENCH [deadlock, dilemma, from im not and passer
to pass] noun deadlock, or a predicament from which there is no apparent
escape; also, a road that comes to a
dead end: "Negotiations between the two
sides in the trade dispute have reached an
impasse."

impasto (im.)pto) ITALIAN [from
impastare to make into a pastel noun
(plural impastos) an artistic technique in which pigment is thickly
applied to the canvas or panel, or the
pigment itself thus applied; also used
to refer to a style of ceramics in which
the decoration is raised in relief.

impedimenta (impedimenta) LATIN
[from impedimentum impediment,
hindrance] plural noun equipment,
luggage, or supplies, especially when
viewed as encumbrances creating an
obstacle to progress: "When retrieved,
our impedimenta would consist of her
parasol and dressing-bag, and my dressing-case. My stick and gloves were in the
hall, and I decided to let them go"(Dornford Yates, The Brother of Daphne,
1914).

impetigo (impatigo) LATIN [from
impetere to attack] noun an acute,
contagious bacterial skin infection,

characterized by pustules and scabs:
"The doctor prescribed an ointment for her
impetigo."

impetus (impatas) LATIN [assault, from
impetere to attack] noun (plural impetus
or impetuses) forward motion or an
impulse, stimulus, incentive, or driving
force: "The new principal's fresh thinking
has provided the impetus to improve school
standards."

impresario (imprasahrio, imprazahrio)
ITALIAN [from impresa undertaking,
enterprise] noun (plural impresarios)
a person who produces, promotes,
manages, or conducts an opera, concert, or theatrical company or who
puts on or sponsors entertainment of
some kind: "Among the directors of the
theater was a rich and luxurious general
Officer, in love with an actress, for whose
sake he had made himself an impresario" (Honore de Balzac, Two Brothers,
1830).

imprimatur (impramahtar, imprimahtar) LATIN [let it be printed] noun
(plural imprimaturs) in the Roman
Catholic church, a license permitting the printing or publishing of
a religious work; more generally,
any expression of official approval for
something. Also used of the publisher's name and address, together with
the date of publication, that is usually
printed on the title page of a book.
'abbreviated form imp.

imprimis (impimiS, impirniS) LATIN
[from im primis among the first] adverb
in the first place (usually introducing a list of items): "This inventory I
afterwards translated into English, and
is, word for word, as follows: IMPRIMIS,
In the right coat-pocket of the great
man-mountain' (for so I interpret the
words Q,UINBUS FLESTRIN) after the
strictest search, we found only one great
piece of coarse-cloth, large enough to be a
foot-cloth for your majesty's chief room of
state" (Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels,
1726).

impromptu (impromtoo, im omp- rchoo) FRENCH [extemporaneously,
from Latin in promptu in readiness]
noun (plural impromptus) a musical
composition or something else that is
put together without prior planning
or preparation. -adjective of or relating to something that is put together
without prior planning or preparation: "He had hardly returned from the
marquee with the prize in his hand, when
it began to be understood that Wiry Ben
proposed to amuse the company, before the
gentry went to dinner, with an impromptu
and gratuitous performance namely, a
hornpipe..." (George Eliot, Adam Bede,
1859). 'adverb done or improvised on
the spur of the moment, without prior
planning or preparation.

imshi (imshee), imshee ARABIC
[imperative of misi to go] verb go
away (originally military slang):
"`Go! Imshi, Vootsak, get out!' The man

departed, staggering and dazed" (Rudyard Kipling, The Light That Failed,
1890).

in absentia (in absench),a) LATIN [in
absence] adverb phrase in the absence
of a person or persons etc. "abbreviated form I.A. or i.a.

in abstracto (in abstrakto) LATIN [in
the abstract] adverb phrase from an
abstract point of view.