[im.pres.sion] n (14c) 1 a: a characteristic, trait, or feature resulting from some influence "the ~ on behavior produced by the social milieu" b: an effect of alteration or improvement "the settlement left little ~ on the wilderness" c: a telling image impressed on the senses or the mind
2: the effect produced by impressing: as a: a stamp, form, or figure resulting from physical contact b: an imprint of the teeth and adjacent portions of the jaw for use in dentistry c: an esp. marked and often favorable influence or effect on feeling, sense, or mind
3: the act of impressing: as a: an affecting by stamping or pressing b: a communicating of a mold, trait, or character by an external force or influence
4. a: the amount of pressure with which an inked printing surface deposits its ink on the paper b: one instance of the meeting of a printing surface and the material being printed; also: a single print or copy so made c: all the copies (as of a book) printed in one continuous operation from a single makeready
5: an often indistinct or imprecise notion or remembrance
6. a: the first coat of color in painting b: a coat of paint for ornament or preservation 7: an imitation or representation of salient features in an artistic or theatrical medium; esp: an imitation in caricature of a noted personality as a form of theatrical entertainment syn see idea