What is "i-"

I- \I-\, prefix. See Y-.

Y- \Y-\, or I- \I-\ . [OE. y-, i-, AS. ge-, akin to D. & G. ge-, OHG. gi-, ga-, Goth. ga-, and perhaps to Latin con-; originally meaning, together. Cf. Com-, Aware, Enough, Handiwork, Ywis.] A prefix of obscure meaning, originally used with verbs, adverbs, adjectives, nouns, and pronouns. In the Middle English period, it was little employed except with verbs, being chiefly used with past participles, though occasionally with the infinitive. Ycleped, or yclept, is perhaps the only word not entirely obsolete which shows this use.

That no wight mighte it see neither yheere.
--Chaucer.

Neither to ben yburied nor ybrent.
--Chaucer.

Note: Some examples of Chaucer's use of this prefix are; ibe, ibeen, icaught, ycome, ydo, idoon, ygo, iproved, ywrought. It inough, enough, it is combined with an adjective. Other examples are in the Vocabulary. [1913 Webster] Spenser and later writers frequently employed this prefix when affecting an archaic style, and sometimes used it incorrectly.

Etymology 1 pre. (context obsolete English) (non-gloss definition: Used to form past participles of verbs). (alternative spelling of y- English) Etymology 2

pre. A form of the prefix ''in-'', used before ''gn'', as in ignoble, ignominy, and ignore. Etymology 3

pre. (context Jamaica English) (non-gloss definition: Used to transform English words into words used by Rastafarians with a special meaning). Etymology 4

pre. Alluding to cutting-edge or fashionable digital devices and computer programs, especially those from Apple.