I is most closely related to e, y, j, g; as in dint, dent, beverage, L. bibere; E. kin, AS. cynn; E. thin, AS. þynne; E. dominion, donjon, dungeon. In English I has two principal vowel sounds: the long sound, as in pne, ce; and the short sound, as in pn. It has also three other sounds: (a) That of e in term, as in thirst. (b) That of e in mete (in words of foreign origin), as in machine, pique, regime. (c) That of consonant y (in many words in which it precedes another vowel), as in bunion, million, filial, Christian, etc. It enters into several digraphs, as in fail, field, seize, feign. friend; and with o often forms a proper diphtong, as in oil, join, coin. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 98-106. The dot which we place over the small or lower case i dates only from the 14th century. The sounds of I and J were originally represented by the same character, and even after the introduction of the form J into English dictionaries, words containing these letters were, till a comparatively recent time, classed together. 2. In our old authors, I was often used for ay (or aye), yes, which is pronounced nearly like it. 3. As a numeral, I stands for 1, II for 2, etc. I- (?), prefix. See Y- . I (), pron. [poss. My (m) or Mine (mn); object. Me (m). pl. nom. We (w); poss. Our (our) or Ours (ourz); object. Us (s).] [OE. i, ich, ic, AS. ic; akin to OS. & D. ik, OHG. ih, G. ich, Icel. ek, Dan. jeg, Sw. jag, Goth. ik, OSlav. az', Russ. ia, W. i, L. ego, Gr. 'egw`, 'egw`n, Skr. aham. √179. Cf. Egoism.] The nominative case of the pronoun of the first person; the word with which a speaker or writer denotes himself. I*am`a*tol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. &?;, &?;, medicine + -logy.] (Med.) Materia Medica; that branch of therapeutics which treats of remedies. I"amb (?), n. [Cf. F. iambe. See Lambus.] An iambus or iambic. [R.] I*am"bic (?), a. [L. iambicus, Gr. &?;: cf. F. iambique.] 1. (Pros.) Consisting of a short syllable followed by a long one, or of an unaccented syllable followed by an accented; as, an iambic foot. 2. Pertaining to, or composed of, iambics; as, an iambic verse; iambic meter. See Lambus. I*am"bic, n. 1. (Pros.) (a) An iambic foot; an iambus. (b) A verse composed of iambic feet. The following couplet consists of iambic verses. Thy gen- | ius calls | thee not | to pur- | chase fame In keen | iam- | bics, but | mild an- | agram. Dryden. 2. A satirical poem (such poems having been anciently written in iambic verse); a satire; a lampoon. I*am"bic*al (?), a. Iambic. [Obs. or R.] I*am"bic*al*ly, adv. In a iambic manner; after the manner of iambics. I*am"bize (?), v. t. [Gr. &?;.] To satirize in iambics; to lampoon. [R.] I*am"bus (?), n.; pl. L. Iambi (#), E. Iambuses (#). [L. iambus, Gr. &?;; prob. akin to &?; to throw, assail (the iambus being first used in satiric poetry), and to L. jacere to throw. Cf. Jet a shooting forth.] (Pros.) A foot consisting of a short syllable followed by a long one, as in mns, or of an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one, as invent; an iambic. See the Couplet under Iambic, n. ||I*an"thi*na (?), n.; pl. L. Ianthinæ (#), E. Ianthinas (#). [NL., fr. ||L. ianthinus violet-blue, Gr. &?;; &?; violet + &?; flower.] (Zoöl.) ||Any gastropod of the genus Ianthina, of...