The Sailor's Word-Book / An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc.

by W. H. Smyth

IGUANA. A large lizard used for food in tropical climates.

ILAND. The Saxon ealand (See [Island].)

ILDE, and Ile. Archaic terms for island.

ILET. Lacing holes. (See [Eyelet-holes].)

ILLEGAL VOYAGE. (See [Voyage].)

IMMER. A water-fowl (See [Ember-goose]). The Colymbus immer of Linn., the great plunger of Buffon.

IMMERSION. The prismatic solid carried under water on the lee-side of a ship by its inclination.—Centre of immersion, the mean centre of the part immersed. (See [Centre of Cavity].) Astronomically, immersion means the disappearance of a heavenly body when undergoing eclipse.

IMP. One length of twisted hair in a fishing-line.

IMPEDIMENTA. The ancient term for the baggage of an army.

IMPORT, Importation, and Importer, being exactly the reverse of [export], [exportation], and [exporter], refer to those terms, and take the opposite meaning. To import is therefore to bring commodities into a country for the purpose of traffic.