imprest

I1M3P3R1E1S1T1
UK/ɪmˈpɹɛst/UK/ˈɪmpɹɛst/

noun

An advance of funds, especially to a government service or employee.

“February 23 1780, Edmund Burke, Establism Bill it shall not be lawful to imprest or issue to the paymaster general of his majesty's land forces”

UncommonFirst used 16th c.Scrabble 11
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Meanings

imprest1

verb
  1. obsoleteparticiplepastsimple past and past participle of impress

imprest2

nounimprest (plural imprests)

plural imprests

  1. An advance of funds, especially to a government service or employee.First known use 16th c.

    Calling on Lacon at the Cabinet Office to deliver the Circus's monthly imprest account for his inspection, he had been astonished to see Sam emerging from his private office, joking easily with Lacon and Saul Enderby of the Foreign Office.

    1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society, published 2010, page 240
verbimprest (third-person singular simple present imprests, present participle impresting, simple past and past participle imprested)

present singular third person imprests · participle present impresting · participle past imprested · past imprested

  1. To advance funds on loan.

    February 23 1780, Edmund Burke, Establism Bill it shall not be lawful to imprest or issue to the paymaster general of his majesty's land forces

Origin

Prefix form of prest, perhaps after Italian imprestare, or perhaps from a misunderstanding of the phrase in prest.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian аванс
  • аванс (avans)an advance of funds
Hungarian előleg, költségelőleg
  • előlegan advance of funds
  • költségelőlegan advance of funds
Malay panjar
  • panjaran advance of funds

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

mipster
Cite this entry
APA

imprest. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imprest

MLA

“imprest.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imprest. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “imprest,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/imprest.

Source: imprest on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.