An advance or a loan of funds, especially for services rendered to a government.
ETYMOLOGY:
From obsolete Italian impresto, loan, from past participle of imprestare, to lend : in-, toward (from Latin; see in–2) + prestare, to lend (from Latin praestre, to give, from praest, at hand; see ghes- in Appendix I).
m-pr
st
re, to give, from praest
, at hand; see ghes- in Appendix I).
