a concavity in a surface produced by pressing
"he left the impression of his fingers in the soft mud"
an identification of a publisher; a publisher's name along with the date and address and edition that is printed at the bottom of the title page
"the book was published under a distinguished imprint"
an impression produced by pressure or printing
"The heavy rain left a muddy imprint on the garden gate."
a device produced by pressure on a surface
"The heavy roller left a distinct imprint of its textured rubber on the freshly paved road."
An impression; the mark left behind by printing something.
"The heavy book left a permanent imprint on the soft leather cover of his bag."
In plain English: An imprint is a mark left on something, often by pressure or an animal walking through soft ground.
"The teacher left her stamp imprint on every student's report card."
Usage: As a noun, an imprint refers specifically to the publisher's name and logo found on the copyright page of a book or other media. Use this term when discussing publication details rather than general physical marks left by objects.
To leave a print, impression, image, etc.
"The heavy boot left a muddy imprint on the soft grass."
In plain English: To imprint something means to press it firmly into another surface so that it leaves a mark.
"The tiger's paw left a deep imprint in the soft mud."
The word imprint comes from the Old French empreinte, which was derived from the Latin verb imprimere. Originally, it meant to press or stamp something onto a surface.