im·prest ( m-pr st )n. An advance or a loan of funds, especially for services rendered to a government. [From obsolete Italian impresto, loan, from past participle of imprestare, to lend : in-, toward (from Latin; see in-2) + prestare, to lend (from Latin praest  re, to give, from praest , at hand; see ghes- in Indo-European roots).] |
imprest [ɪmˈprɛst]
n
1. (Business / Commerce) a fund of cash from which a department or other unit pays incidental expenses, topped up periodically from central funds
2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) Chiefly Brit an advance from government funds for the performance of some public business or service
3. (Military) Brit (formerly) an advance payment of wages to a sailor or soldier
[probably from Italian imprestare to lend, from Latin in- towards + praestāre to pay, from praestō at hand; see presto]
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