For some reason, ingenious makes me think of Pinky and the Brain, perhaps because the two mice are the direct opposite of the word. Brain believes himself ingenious, but Brain’s brain (Ha!) overcomplicates things. All his plans to rule the world come to naught and not always because of Pinky’s tendency to be all thumbs or to forget instructions. (Poor Pinky.)
Ingenious, of course, is only one of many “i” words. Here are some other ones to employ in sentences and conversations.
Ichor
Noun. [from the Greek ichōr.] (1400s) A thin watery or blood-tinged discharge. An ethereal fluid taking the place of blood in the veins of the ancient Greek gods.
(No one wanted to dissect the Titan’s body, fearing its ichor might contain strange properties.)
Idiot Light
Noun. (1966) A colored light on an automobile instrument panel designed to give a warning (as of low oil pressure).
(Ignoring the “check engine” light feels even sillier after learning its true name: idiot light.)
Ignescent
Adjective. [From the Latin ignescent-, ignescens. Present participle of ignescere, to catch fire. From ignis.] (c. 1828) Capable of emitting sparks. Volatile.
(Baby dragons are largely ignescent, essentially acting much like a lighter.)
Ikebana
Noun. [From the Japanese. From ikeru, to keep alive, arrange + hana, flower.] (c. 1901) The Japanese art of flower arranging that emphasizes form and balance.
(Before opening her flower shop, Marianne studied ikebana with a Japanese interior designer.)
Ill-Gotten
Adjective. (1552) Acquired by illicit or improper means <~ gains>.
(The hotel manager refused the man a room, thinking he would pay for it with ill-gotten means.)
Impasto
Noun. [From the Italian. From impastare.] (1784) The thick application of a pigment to a canvas or panel in painting; also: the body of pigment so applied. Raised decoration on ceramic ware, usually of slip or enamel.
(As part of her process, Sarah covered her canvases with impasto prior to painting her large-scale landscapes.)
Imprecate
Verb. [From the Latin imprecatus. Present participle of imprecari, from in- + precari, to pray—more at PRAY.] (1616) To invoke evil on: CURSE. To utter curses.
(The acolyte was so frightened that he could barely imprecate a basic spell when attacked by a three-headed dog.)
Incogitant
Adjective. [From the Latin incogitant-, incogitans. From in- + cogitant, cogitans. Present participle of cogitare, to cogitate.] (1628) THOUGHTLESS, INCONSIDERATE.
(The warden’s incogitant words about the children’s mother caused them to burst into tears.)
Infinitesimal
Adjective. (1710) Taking on values arbitrarily close to but greater than zero. Immeasurably or incalculably small.
(The chemist solved the equation to a painstaking and infinitesimal degree.)
In Petto
Adjective or Adverb. [From the Italian, literally, in the breast.] (c. 1674) In private: SECRETLY. In miniature.
(She kept her feelings in petto, knowing they weren’t returned.)
Interlunar
Adjective. [Probably from the Middle Latin interlunaire. From the Latin interlunium, interlunary period. From inter- + luna, moon—more at LUNAR.] (1598) Relating to the interval between old and new moon when the moon is invisible.
(During the interlunar phase, it’s hard to find the motivation to go for a run at 5 a.m.)
Inverted Comma
Noun. [Chiefly British.] (1789) QUOTATION MARK.
(When her editor mentioned a problem with inverted commas, she had to translate his words to understand he meant quotation marks.)
Iota
Noun. [From the Latin. From the Greek iōta. Of Semitic origin; akin to the Hebrew yōdh, yod.] (1607) The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet—see ALPHABET table. An infinitesimal amount: JOT.
(She worried not an iota about what he thought of her degree plan.)
Iron Maiden
Noun. (c. 1895) A supposed medieval torture device consisting of a hollow iron statue or coffin in the shape of a woman and lined with spikes that impaled the enclosed victim.
(Despite the archaeologist’s research and digs, he could find little evidence to support the claim that iron maidens were used during the Dark Ages.)
Istle
Noun. [From the American Spanish ixtle. From the Nahuatl ichtli.] (1883) A strong fiber (as for cordage or basketry) from various tropical American plans (as of the genus Agave).
(To this day, weavers use istle to form baskets and cords.)
Itty-Bitty
Adjective. [Probably from baby talk for little bit.] (1938) Extremely small: TINY.
(The genie tells Aladdin he has almost unlimited power but lives in an itty-bitty living space.)
Ivory-Towered
Adjective. (1937) Divorced from reality and practical matters <an ~ recluse>.
(Her ivory-towered neighbors refused to leave their home during the initial hurricane evacuation.)
What are your favorite “i” words? Leave them in the comments.
Image: JD Hancock (Creative Commons)