O.E.
impe, impa "young shoot, graft," from
impian "to graft," probably an early W.Gmc. borrowing from V.L.
*imptus, from L.L.
impotus "implanted," from Gk.
emphytos, verbal adj. formed from
emphyein "implant," from
em- "in" +
phyein "to plant." Sense of "child, offspring" (1377) came from transfer of word from plants to people, with notion of "newness" preserved. Modern meaning "little devil" (1584) is from common use in pejorative phrases like
imp of Satan."Suche appereth as aungelles, but in very dede they be ymps of serpentes." ["The Pilgrimage of Perfection," 1526]