Ionidium
(||I`o*nid"i*um) n. [NL. Cf. Iodine.] (Bot.) A genus of violaceous plants, chiefly found in tropical
America, some species of which are used as substitutes for ipecacuanha.
Ioqua shell
(I"o*qua shell`) [From the native name.] (Zoöl.) The shell of a large Dentalium (D. pretiosum),
formerly used as shell money, and for ornaments, by the Indians of the west coast of North America.
Iota
(I*o"ta) n. [L., fr. Gr. 'iw^ta. See Jot.]
1. The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet (ι) corresponding with the English i.
2. A very small quantity or degree; a jot; a particle.
They never depart an iota from the authentic formulas of tyranny and usurpation.
Burke. Iota subscript (Gr. Gram.),
iota written beneath a preceding vowel, as a,, h,, w,, — done when iota
is silent.
Iotacism
(I*o"ta*cism) n. [Gr. 'iotakismo`s a laying too much stress upon the iota (ι): cf. F. iotacisme.
See Iota.] The frequent use of the sound of iota (that of English e in be), as among the modern
Greeks; also, confusion from sounding ε, ι, η, υ, ει, etc., like &iota.
Littré.
I O U
(I O U) [i. e., I owe you.] A paper having on it these letters, with a sum named, and duly signed; —
in use in England as an acknowledgment of a debt, and taken as evidence thereof, but not amounting
to a promissory note; a due bill. Wharton. Story.
Iowas
(I"o*was) n. pl.; sing. Iowa. (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians which formerly occupied the region now
included in the State of Iowa.
Ipecac
(Ip"e*cac) n. An abbreviation of Ipecacuanha, and in more frequent use.
Ipecacuanha
(Ip`e*cac`u*an"ha) n. [Pg. ipecacuanha (cf. Sp. ipecacuana); fr. Braz. ipe-kaa-guena,
prop., a creeping plant that causes vomiting.] (Med. & Bot.) The root of a Brazilian rubiaceous herb
largely employed as an emetic; also, the plant itself; also, a medicinal extract of the root. Many other
plants are used as a substitutes; among them are the black or Peruvian ipecac the white ipecac (Ionidium
Ipecacuanha), the bastard or wild ipecac (Asclepias Curassavica), and the undulated ipecac (Richardsonia
scabra).
Ipocras
(Ip"o*cras) n. Hippocras. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Ipomœa
(||Ip`o*mœ"a) n. [NL. "Named, according to Linnæus, from Gr. 'i`ps, 'ipo`s, a bindweed [which it
is not], and "o`moios like." Gray.] (Bot.) A genus of twining plants with showy monopetalous flowers,
including the morning-glory, the sweet potato, and the cypress vine.
Ipomœic
(Ip`o*mœ"ic) a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained by the oxidation of convolvulin
(obtained from jalap, the tubers of Ipomœa purga), and identical in most of its properties with sebacic
acid.
Ir-
(Ir-) A form of the prefix in-. See In- .
Iracund
(I"ra*cund) a. [L. iracundus, fr. ira anger.] Irascible; choleric. "Iracund people." Carlyle.
Irade
(I*ra"de) n. [Turk.] A decree of the Sultan.
Iran
(I`ran") n. [Mod. Persian Iran. Cf. Aryan.] The native name of Persia.