Dictionary

imbue en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ɪmˈbjuː/ (UK)
• /ɪmˈbju/ (US)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Latin imbuō (“wet, moisten”). Compare imbibe.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To instill or inspire (someone) with a certain quality, feeling, or idea.
   • The patriarchal lives of my protectors caused these impressions to take a firm hold on my mind; perhaps, if my first introduction to humanity had been made by a young soldier, burning for glory and slaughter, I should have been imbued with different sensations. 1823, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus, volume 1, London, pages 35-36:
2. (transitive) To wet or stain an object completely with some physical quality.
   • The shirt was imbued with his scent.
   • I might leave the answering of one part of the objection to physicians and chymists, who teach, that the antimonial glass and cup imbue wine and other liquors with a strong emetic quality, without any sensible loss of weight. 1772, “An Essay about the Origin and Virtue of Gems”, in THE WORKS OF THE HONOURABLE ROBERT BOYLE., A NEW EDITION edition, volume VOLUME THE THIRD, page 545:
3. In general, to act in a way which results in an object becoming completely permeated or impregnated by some quality.
   • The entire text is imbued with the sense of melancholy and hopelessness.

Forms

Deriveds

imbuement · reimbue · unimbued · imbuer

Synonyms

endue · tincture · steep · pervade · suffuse · infuse

Translations (45)

uk просо́чувати (to wet or stain completely) · de tränken (to wet or stain completely) · la imbuō (to wet or stain completely) · cs prodchnout (to permeate or impregnate completely) · es imbuir (to permeate or impregnate completely) · cs prodchnout (to wet or stain completely) · uk просочи́ти (to permeate or impregnate completely) · hu átitat (to wet or stain completely) · it permeare (to permeate or impregnate completely) · es imbuir (to wet or stain completely) · cs nasytit (to permeate or impregnate completely) · fr imprégner (to permeate or impregnate completely) · ca impregnar (to permeate or impregnate completely) · ro impregna (to wet or stain completely) · bg напоявам (to wet or stain completely) · cs naplnit (to permeate or impregnate completely) · fr imprégner (to wet or stain completely) · hu átitat (to permeate or impregnate completely) · nl doortrekken (to permeate or impregnate completely) · bg насищам (to wet or stain completely) · es insuflar (to permeate or impregnate completely) · ca imbuir (to wet or stain completely) · fi kyllästää (to permeate or impregnate completely) · txb snätk- (to permeate or impregnate completely) · uk просочи́ти (to wet or stain completely) · cs prosáknout (to wet or stain completely) · bg пропивам (to permeate or impregnate completely) · ro îmbiba (to wet or stain completely) · ro impregna (to permeate or impregnate completely) · sv genomsyra (to permeate or impregnate completely) · pt imbuir (to wet or stain completely) · uk просо́чувати (to permeate or impregnate completely) · pt imbuir (to permeate or impregnate completely) · pt impregnar (to permeate or impregnate completely) · nl doordrenken (to permeate or impregnate completely) · pt impregnar (to wet or stain completely) · ru насыща́ть (to permeate or impregnate completely) · ru пропи́тывать (to wet or stain completely) · it tingere (to wet or stain completely) · fi kyllästää (to wet or stain completely) · it permeare (to wet or stain completely) · nl bevlekken (to wet or stain completely) · de durchdringen (to permeate or impregnate completely) · nl nat maken (to wet or stain completely) · it impregnare (to permeate or impregnate completely)