/ ɪmp; NAmE / noun
1.
(in stories) a small creature like a little man, that has magic powers and behaves badly
2.
a child who behaves badly, but not in a serious way
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English impa , impe young shoot, scion , impian to graft , based on Greek emphuein to implant. In late Middle English , the noun denoted a descendant, especially of a noble family, and later a child of the devil or a person regarded as such; hence a “little devil” or mischievous child (early 17th cent.).