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Imprimatur - plus, The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

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WORD OF THE DAY
October 12, 2025
 
 
 

imprimaturAudio pronunciation

 
noun| im-pruh-MAH-toor
 
What It Means
 
Imprimatur is a formal word that refers to explicit approval or permission.
 
// Though not an official project of the theater, the drama festival has its imprimatur.
 
 
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Examples of IMPRIMATUR
 
“It is not overstating to say that [Frederick] Douglass was a baseball man. He attended games, supported his sons’ involvement, and even played catch with his grandchildren. Douglass’s support gave Black baseball an imprimatur of race approval as an activity that uplifted the race. It was not frivolous for Black men to pursue this sport as an avocation, or even as a vocation.” — Gerald Early, Play Harder: The Triumph of Black Baseball in America, 2025
 
 
Did You Know?
 
Imprimatur means “let it be printed” in New Latin (the Latin used since the end of the medieval period especially in science). It comes from Latin imprimere, meaning “to imprint or impress.” In the 1600s, the word appeared in the front matter of books, accompanied by the name of an official authorizing the book’s printing. In time, English speakers began using imprimatur in the general sense of “official approval.”
 
Quiz
 
Fill in the blanks to complete a word, usually used in plural, for an enthusiastic approval: p _ _ u d _ t.
 
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