Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Official approval or license to print or publish, especially under conditions of censorship.
- n. Official approval; sanction.
- n. A mark of official approval: a directive bearing the imprimatur of high officials.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Let it be printed: a formula signed by an official licenser of the press and attached to the matter so authorized to be printed.
- n. n. A license to print, granted by the licenser of the press; hence, a license in general.
Wiktionary
- n. An official license to publish or print something, especially when censorship applies.
- n. by extension Any mark of official approval.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Law) A license to print or publish a book, paper, etc.; also, in countries subjected to the censorship of the press, approval of that which is published.
- n. (R. C. Ch.) Permission granted from a designated ecclesiastical authority to publish a book or other document; -- required by church law for Catholics, especially ecclesiastics, who wish to publish.
- n. Official approval for some proposed activity.
WordNet 3.0
- n. formal and explicit approval
Etymologies
- From Latin imprimatur ("let it be printed"), third person singular present subjunctive passive form of imprimere ("to imprint"). (Wiktionary)
- From New Latin imprimātur, let it be printed, third person sing. present subjunctive passive of Latin imprimere, to imprint; see impress1. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“An imprimatur is not guarantee of theological soundness, in reality.”
Dr. Janet Smith replies to Dr. Schindler, defends Christopher West
“The thing is, to a lot of people it's still seen as a nerd activity; while some geeky/nerdy things are now cool, others haven't been given the imprimatur from the "cool folks" yet.”
“However, Rome's imprimatur is required before sainthood can be declared.”
“The conclusion is obvious; the imprimatur was a momentary insincerity for which there must have been specific, exterior reasons.”
“The hymns to which he gave his imprimatur are a most important part of the public worship of his followers.”
“So there's obviously something in the demand for expertise, the imprimatur, which is not really about the fact that they do a good job.”
“What may be happening here is that the two rather learned terms imprimatur and imprint (both obviously close etymological relatives) blend in some speakers 'vocabulary, and the imprimatur > impremature substitution extends out to”
“Paula Lieberman @ 96: No, I meant that some people feel that self-publishing has a stigma, and that their work needs some kind of imprimatur before it merits publication.”
“That is precisely what unions do, and their endorsements are far from merely an "imprimatur," as Ana suggests.”
“In 1926 it was granted an official Catholic 'imprimatur' ie approval because it was seen as being written by 'an unknown male of the fourteenth century'.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘imprimatur’.
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wk24
unwarranted, judicious, capricious, hegemonic, ephemeral, specious, obdurate, inherent, inchoate, artifact, spurious, obsequious and 30 more...
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250 More Spelling Words
More words for intermediate and advanced spellers.
melisma, dioecious, jejunity, sialogogue, zingiber, zendik, dithyramb, pneuma, kachina, agiotage, baedeker, sabulous and 238 more...
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wallace
Remington, Windsor, prorector, wen, aver, mottle, seltzer, tepee, lapidary, effete, sotto, presbyopia and 355 more...
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Distinguishing Marks
assay-mark, stamp, seal, cedula, cartouse, cachet, brand, mark, hallmark, armorial device, coat of arms, emblem and 150 more...
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phrontistery - i
from phrontistery.info
iamatology, iamb, ianthine, iatraliptic, iatramelia, iatrarchy, iatrochemistry, iatrogenic, iatrology, iatromathematics, iatrophobia, ibidem and 510 more...
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Words ending -tur please add
vacatur, additur, remittitur, imprimatur, sequitur, decatur, þrífótur, furðuhlutur, klaviatur, res ipsa loquitur, allocatur, loquitur and 1 more...
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RealLifePixel's Bad-Ass Words
Words so awesome they'll kick your eyeballs' asses!
cucurbitaceous, sacerdotal, loudhailer, bildungsroman, sublation, marmoreal, recusant, velleity, hardscrabble, malinger, miasma, brennschluss and 76 more...
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Kathy C's List
My favorite words
golconda, au fait, purlicue, tautonym, cunctatory, gynecomastia, vesta, imprimatur, efflux, antediluvian, protean, phlegmatic and 24 more...
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Infinite Jest
starting from i dont know the 4th or 5th chapter called 'year of the depend adult undergarment'
petulant, agoraphobia, portcullis, fantod, coital, phylactery, imprimatur, insipid, precocious, cardioid, fenestration, inception and 9 more...
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remnants of a catholic childhood
extreme unction, viaticum, maundy thursday, spy wednesday, good friday, papabile, monstrance, septuagesima, monsignor, thurible, chasuble, alb and 110 more...
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Infinite Jest
David Foster Wallace's gargantuan novel.
debauch, asphyxiate, benighted, imprimatur, nonplussed, kismet, comme-il-faut, prolix, dipsomaniacal, nadir
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Personal Vocabulary List
All my favourite words that I come across!
veritable, incongruence, rigamorole, letcherous, revolting, repulsive, reputrid, rapatious, forays, guise, placate, paradigm and 1162 more...
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Latinate
lorem ipsum, citius, altius, fortius, curriculum vitae, bona fide, terra nullius, habeas corpus, quidnunc, voir dire, emeritus, quincunx and 99 more...
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bintalshamsa's list
My Favorite Words
weltschmerz, perspicacity, idée fixe, invigilator, salubrious, tchotchke, ex nihilo, invidious, malapropism, naïve, sardonic, elide and 1459 more...
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spicolli's Words
terrapin, ravenous, fuck, sepulchral, garlic, suss, queer, curmudgeon, foodie, intricate, omphalos, subversion and 534 more...
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Infinite Jest
Words taken from Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.
prorector, monograph, post-fourier, snuffle, rototremble, creatus, enfilade, subanimalistic, balletic, espadrilles, leonine, cirri and 1153 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for imprimatur.
Louises 'The wish to live on in one's descendants is not unusual, even if the words in which it is expressed have lacked imprimatur.' The Absence of Mind by Marilynne Robinson 2010. Apr 20, 2013
jwjarvis Mr. Zuckerberg felt that gaining the imprimatur of a major investor at such lofty levels would validate Facebook Jan 6, 2011
nahiku888 Every time I see this word, an image of one of those nuns I endured in high school pops up in my mind - NOT a pleasant image believe me! Jun 21, 2009