From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
impression
n 1: a vague idea in which some confidence is placed; "his
impression of her was favorable"; "what are your feelings
about the crisis?"; "it strengthened my belief in his
sincerity"; "I had a feeling that she was lying" [syn:
impression, feeling, belief, notion, opinion]
2: an outward appearance; "he made a good impression"; "I wanted
to create an impression of success"; "she retained that bold
effect in her reproductions of the original painting" [syn:
impression, effect]
3: a clear and telling mental image; "he described his mental
picture of his assailant"; "he had no clear picture of
himself or his world"; "the events left a permanent
impression in his mind" [syn: mental picture, picture,
impression]
4: a concavity in a surface produced by pressing; "he left the
impression of his fingers in the soft mud" [syn:
depression, impression, imprint]
5: a symbol that is the result of printing or engraving; "he put
his stamp on the envelope" [syn: stamp, impression]
6: all the copies of a work printed at one time; "they ran off
an initial printing of 2000 copies" [syn: impression,
printing]
7: (dentistry) an imprint of the teeth and gums in wax or
plaster; "the dentist took an impression for use in preparing
an inlay"
8: an impressionistic portrayal of a person; "he did a funny
impression of a politician"
9: the act of pressing one thing on or into the surface of
another; "he watched the impression of the seal on the hot
wax"
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Impression \Im*pres"sion\, n. [F. impression, L. impressio.]
1. The act of impressing, or the state of being impressed;
the communication of a stamp, mold, style, or character,
by external force or by influence.
[1913 Webster]
2. That which is impressed; stamp; mark; indentation;
sensible result of an influence exerted from without.
[1913 Webster]
The stamp and clear impression of good sense.
--Cowper.
[1913 Webster]
To shelter us from impressions of weather, we must
spin, we must weave, we must build. --Barrow.
[1913 Webster]
3. That which impresses, or exercises an effect, action, or
agency; appearance; phenomenon. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
Portentous blaze of comets and impressions in the
air. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
A fiery impression falling from out of Heaven.
--Holland.
[1913 Webster]
4. Influence or effect on the senses or the intellect hence,
interest, concern. --Reid.
[1913 Webster]
His words impression left. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
Such terrible impression made the dream. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
I have a father's dear impression,
And wish, before I fall into my grave,
That I might see her married. --Ford.
[1913 Webster]
5. An indistinct notion, remembrance, or belief.
[1913 Webster]
6. Impressiveness; emphasis of delivery.
[1913 Webster]
Which must be read with an impression. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
7. (Print.) The pressure of the type on the paper, or the
result of such pressure, as regards its appearance; as, a
heavy impression; a clear, or a poor, impression; also, a
single copy as the result of printing, or the whole
edition printed at a given time; as, a copy from the fifth
impression.
[1913 Webster]
Ten impressions which his books have had. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
8. In painting, the first coat of color, as the priming in
house painting and the like. [R.]
[1913 Webster]
9. (Engraving) A print on paper from a wood block, metal
plate, or the like.
[1913 Webster]
Proof impression, one of the early impressions taken from
an engraving, before the plate or block is worn.
[1913 Webster]