Incrimination noun The act of incriminating; crimination.

Incriminatory adjective Of or pertaining to crimination; tending to incriminate; criminatory.

Incroyable noun [ French, lit., incredible.] A French fop or dandy of the time of the Directory; hence, any fop.

» The name is said to have been given in allusion not only to the extravagant dress, but also to the frequent use of the phrase " C'est vraiment incroyable " (That is really incredible.).

Incruental adjective [ Latin incruentus . See In- not, and Cruentous .] Unbloody; not attended with blood; as, an incruental sacrifice. [ Obsolete] Brevint.

Incrust transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Incrusted ; present participle & verbal noun Incrusting .] [ Latin incrustare ; prefix in- in + crustare to cover with a crust: confer French incruster . See Crust .] [ Written also encrust .]

1. To cover or line with a crust, or hard coat; to form a crust on the surface of; as, iron incrusted with rust; a vessel incrusted with salt; a sweetmeat incrusted with sugar.

And by the frost refin'd the whiter snow,
Incrusted hard.

Thomson.

2. (Fine Arts) To inlay into, as a piece of carving or other ornamental object.

Incrustate adjective [ Latin incrustatus , past participle See Incrust .] Incrusted. Bacon.

Incrustate transitive verb To incrust. [ R.] Cheyne.

Incrustation noun [ Latin incrustatio : confer French incrustation . See Incrust .]

1. The act of incrusting, or the state of being incrusted.

2. A crust or hard coating of anything upon or within a body, as a deposit of lime, sediment, etc., from water on the inner surface of a steam boiler.

3. (Architecture) A covering or inlaying of marble, mosaic, etc., attached to the masonry by cramp irons or cement.

4. (Fine Arts) Anything inlaid or imbedded.

Incrustment noun Incrustation. [ R.]

Incrystallizable adjective Not crystallizable; incapable of being formed into crystals.

Incubate intransitive verb & t. [ imperfect & past participle Incubated ; present participle & verbal noun Incubating .] [ Latin incubatus , past participle incubare to lie on; prefix in- in, on + cubare to lie down. Confer Cubit , Incumbent .] To sit, as on eggs for hatching; to brood; to brood upon, or keep warm, as eggs, for the purpose of hatching.

Incubation noun [ Latin incubatio : confer French incubation .]

1. A sitting on eggs for the purpose of hatching young; a brooding on, or keeping warm, (eggs) to develop the life within, by any process. Ray.

2. (Medicine) The development of a disease from its causes, or its period of incubation. (See below.)

3. A sleeping in a consecrated place for the purpose of dreaming oracular dreams. Tylor.

Period of incubation , or Stage of incubation (Medicine) , the period which elapses between exposure to the causes of a disease and the attack resulting from it; the time of development of the supposed germs or spores.

Incubative adjective Of or pertaining to incubation, or to the period of incubation.

Incubator noun That which incubates, especially, an apparatus by means of which eggs are hatched by artificial heat.

Incubator noun
1. A contrivance for the cultivation of microörganisms by maintaining a suitable temperature.

2. (Medicine) An apparatus for rearing prematurely born babies.

Incubatory adjective Serving for incubation.

Incube transitive verb To fix firmly, as in cube; to secure or place firmly. [ Obsolete] Milton.

Incubiture noun [ Confer Latin incubitus .] Incubation. [ Obsolete] J. Ellis.

Incubous adjective [ From Latin incubare to lie on.] (Botany) Having the leaves so placed that the upper part of each one covers the base of the leaf next above it, as in hepatic mosses of the genus Frullania . See Succubous .

Incubus noun ; plural English Incubuses , Latin Incubi . [ Latin , the nightmare. Confer Incubate .]

1. A demon; a fiend; a lascivious spirit, supposed to have sexual intercourse with women by night. Tylor.

The devils who appeared in the female form were generally called succubi; those who appeared like men incubi , though this distinction was not always preserved.

Lecky.

2. (Medicine) The nightmare. See Nightmare .

Such as are troubled with incubus , or witch- ridden, as we call it.

Burton.

3. Any oppressive encumbrance or burden; anything that prevents the free use of the faculties.

Debt and usury is the incubus which weighs most heavily on the agricultural resources of Turkey.

J. Latin Farley.

Inculcate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Inculcated ; present participle & verbal noun Inculcating .] [ Latin inculcatus , past participle of inculcare to tread on; prefix in- in, on + calcare to tread, from calx the heel; perhaps akin to English heel . Confer 2d Calk , Heel .] To teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions; to urge on the mind; as, Christ inculcates on his followers humility.

The most obvious and necessary duties of life they have not yet had authority enough to enforce and inculcate upon men's minds.

S. Clarke.

Syn. -- To instill; infuse; implant; engraft; impress.

Inculcation noun [ Latin inculcatio : confer French inculcation .] A teaching and impressing by frequent repetitions. Bp. Hall.

Inculcator noun [ Latin ] One who inculcates. Boyle.

Inculk transitive verb [ Confer French inculquer . See Inculcate .] To inculcate. [ Obsolete] Sir T. More.

Inculp transitive verb [ Confer inculper . See Inculpate .] To inculpate. [ Obsolete] Shelton.

Inculpable adjective [ Latin inculpabilis : confer French incupable .] Faultless; blameless; innocent. South.

An innocent and incupable piece of ignorance.

Killingbeck.

Inculpableness noun Blamelessness; faultlessness.

Inculpably adverb Blamelessly. South.

Inculpate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Inculpated ; present participle & verbal noun Inculpating .] [ Late Latin inculpatus , past participle of inculpare to blame; prefix in- in + culpa fault. See Culpable .] [ A word of recent introduction.] To blame; to impute guilt to; to accuse; to involve or implicate in guilt.

That risk could only exculpate her and not inculpate them -- the probabilities protected them so perfectly.

H. James.

Inculpation noun [ Confer French inculpation .] Blame; censure; crimination. Jefferson.

Inculpatory adjective Imputing blame; criminatory; compromising; implicating.

Incult adjective [ Latin incultus ; prefix in- not + cultus , past participle of colere to cultivate: confer French inculte .] Untilled; uncultivated; crude; rude; uncivilized.

Germany then, says Tacitus, was incult and horrid, now full of magnificent cities.

Burton.

His style is diffuse and incult .

M. W. Shelley.

Incultivated adjective Uncultivated. [ Obsolete] Sir T. Herbert.

Incultivation noun Want of cultivation. [ Obsolete] Berington.

Inculture noun [ Prefix in- not + culture : confer French inculture .] Want or neglect of cultivation or culture. [ Obsolete] Feltham.

Incumbency noun ; plural Incumbencies . [ From Incumbent .]

1. The state of being incumbent; a lying or resting on something.

2. That which is physically incumbent; that which lies as a burden; a weight. Evelyn.

3. That which is morally incumbent, or is imposed, as a rule, a duty, obligation, or responsibility. "The incumbencies of a family." Donne.

4. The state of holding a benefice; the full possession and exercise of any office.

These fines are only to be paid to the bishop during his incumbency .

Swift.

Incumbent adjective [ Latin incumbens , -entis , present participle of incumbere to lie down upon, press upon; prefix in- in, on + cumbere (in comp.); akin to cubare to lie down. See Incubate .]

1. Lying; resting; reclining; recumbent; superimposed; superincumbent.

Two incumbent figures, gracefully leaning upon it.

Sir H. Wotton.

To move the incumbent load they try.

Addison.

2. Lying, resting, or imposed, as a duty or obligation; obligatory; always with on or upon .

All men, truly zealous, will perform those good works that are incumbent on all Christians.

Sprat.

3. (Botany) Leaning or resting; -- said of anthers when lying on the inner side of the filament, or of cotyledons when the radicle lies against the back of one of them. Gray.

4. (Zoology) Bent downwards so that the ends touch, or rest on, something else; as, the incumbent toe of a bird.

Incumbent noun A person who is in present possession of a benefice or of any office.

The incumbent lieth at the mercy of his patron.

Swift.

Incumbently adverb In an incumbent manner; so as to be incumbent.

Incumber transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Incumbered ; present participle & verbal noun Incumbering .] See Encumber .

Incumbition noun Incubation. [ R.] Sterne.

Incumbrance noun [ See Encumbrance .] [ Written also encumbrance .]

1. A burdensome and troublesome load; anything that impedes motion or action, or renders it difficult or laborious; clog; impediment; hindrance; check. Cowper.

2. (Law) A burden or charge upon property; a claim or lien upon an estate, which may diminish its value.

Incumbrancer noun (Law) One who holds an incumbrance, or some legal claim, lien, or charge on an estate. Kent.

Incumbrous adjective [ Confer Old French encombros .] Cumbersome; troublesome. [ Written also encombrous .] [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Incunabulum noun ; plural Incunabula . [ Latin incunabula cradle, birthplace, origin. See 1st In- , and Cunabula .] A work of art or of human industry, of an early epoch; especially, a book printed before a.d. 1500.

Incur transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Incurred ; present participle & verbal noun Incurring .] [ Latin incurrere to run into or toward; prefix in- in + currere to run. See Current .]

1. To meet or fall in with, as something inconvenient, harmful, or onerous; to put one's self in the way of; to expose one's self to; to become liable or subject to; to bring down upon one's self; to encounter; to contract; as, to incur debt, danger, displeasure, penalty, responsibility, etc.

I know not what I shall incur to pass it,
Having no warrant.

Shak.

2. To render liable or subject to; to occasion. [ Obsolete]

Lest you incur me much more damage in my fame than you have done me pleasure in preserving my life.

Chapman.

Incur intransitive verb To pass; to enter. [ Obsolete]

Light is discerned by itself because by itself it incurs into the eye.

South.

Incurability noun [ Confer French incurabilité incurability, Late Latin incurabilitas negligence.] The state of being incurable; irremediableness. Harvey.

Incurable adjective [ French incurable , Latin incurabilis . See In- not, and Curable .]

1. Not capable of being cured; beyond the power of skill or medicine to remedy; as, an incurable disease.

A scirrhus is not absolutely incurable .

Arbuthnot.

2. Not admitting or capable of remedy or correction; irremediable; remediless; as, incurable evils.

Rancorous and incurable hostility.

Burke.

They were laboring under a profound, and, as it might have seemed, an almost incurable ignorance.

Sir J. Stephen.

Syn. -- Irremediable; remediless; irrecoverable; irretrievable; irreparable; hopeless.

Incurable noun A person diseased beyond cure.