IMPETUS

impulse, impulsion, impetus

(noun) the act of applying force suddenly; “the impulse knocked him over”

drift, impetus, impulsion

(noun) a force that moves something along

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

impetus (plural impetuses)

Something that impels; a stimulating factor.

A force, either internal or external, that impels; an impulse.

The force or energy associated with a moving body; a stimulus.

An activity in response to a stimulus.

Anagrams

• imputes, stumpie, time's up, uptimes

Source: Wiktionary


Im"pe*tus, n. Etym: [L., fr. impetere to rush upon, attack; pref. im- in + petere to fall upon, seek. See Petition.]

1. A property possessed by a moving body in virtue of its weight and its motion; the force with which any body is driven or impelled; momentum.

Note: Momentum is the technical term, impetus its popular equivalent, yet differing from it as applied commonly to bodies moving or moved suddenly or violently, and indicating the origin and intensity of the motion, rather than its quantity or effectiveness.

2. Fig.: Impulse; incentive; vigor; force. Buckle.

3. (Gun.)

Definition: The aititude through which a heavy body must fall to acquire a velocity equal to that with which a ball is discharged from a piece.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

12 May 2025

UNSEASONED

(adjective) not tried or tested by experience; “unseasoned artillery volunteers”; “still untested in battle”; “an illustrator untried in mural painting”; “a young hand at plowing”


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Coffee Trivia

An article published in Harvard Men’s Health Watch in 2012 shows heavy coffee drinkers live longer. The researchers examined data from 400,000 people and found out that men who drank six or more coffee cups per day had a 10% lower death rate.

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