I was asked on tumblr about where imps came from and ended up going down a neat etymological rabbithole.

Turns out that imp itself was originally a horticultural term, referring to young shoots of trees. For example,

I was..þe couentes Gardyner for to graffe ympes. (Langland, 1377)

Of fieble trees ther comen wrecched ympes. (Chaucer, 1386)

It was also used to mean a child or offshoot of parents.

That his sonne prince Edward, that goodly ympe, maie long reigne ouer you. (Hall, 1548)

His sad lamenting sonne Faustus, a vertuous Impe of those impious parents. (Speed, 1611)

Note that none of the examples given yet use it in a negative sense. Its use in a demonic context comes from being used as describing someone as the child of the devil (or other vile creature).

Suche appereth as angelles, but in very dede they be ymps of serpentes. (Bond, 1526)

An impe of Sathan. (Stubbes, 1583)

Over time, imp lost its use as “child” and dropped the parental specifier, so now imps are just little demons by definition.

References

Oxford University Press. (n.d.). Imp, n.¹. In Oxford English dictionary. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/8956357885