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Impel

 - 3 dictionary results

im⋅pel

  [im-pel]
–verb (used with object), -pelled, -pel⋅ling.
1. to drive or urge forward; press on; incite or constrain to action.
2. to drive or cause to move onward; propel; impart motion to.
Use Impel in a Sentence
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME impellen < L impellere to strike against, set in motion (transit.), equiv. to im- im- 1 + pellere to strike, move (something); akin to pulse 1

Synonyms:
1. actuate. See compel.

Antonyms:
1. restrain.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To Impel
im·pel   (ĭm-pěl')   
tr.v.   im·pelled, im·pel·ling, im·pels

  1. To urge to action through moral pressure; drive: I was impelled by events to take a stand.

  2. To drive forward; propel.


[Middle English impellen, from Latin impellere : in-, against; see in-2 + pellere, to drive; see pel-5 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

impel 
1490, from L. impellere "to push, strike against, drive forward, urge on," from in- "into" + pellere "to push, drive."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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