1. past tense of imp; to graft feathers onto a bird’s wing to repair damage or improve flight
Usage: falconry; archaic
2. past tense of imp; to strengthen or repair by adding a piece
Usage: archaic

Examples

• The falconer imped the hawk’s damaged wing with new feathers.
• Medieval falconers regularly imped their birds to maintain their hunting ability.
• The craftsman imped the broken tool handle with a wooden splice.
• After the accident, the bird’s wing was carefully imped by an expert.
• The ancient technique of imping allowed damaged birds to fly again.