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8 dictionary results for: Impulse
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
im·pulse       [im-puhls] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.the influence of a particular feeling, mental state, etc.: to act under a generous impulse; to strike out at someone from an angry impulse.
2.sudden, involuntary inclination prompting to action: to be swayed by impulse.
3.an instance of this.
4.a psychic drive or instinctual urge.
5.an impelling action or force, driving onward or inducing motion.
6.the effect of an impelling force; motion induced; impetus given.
7.Physiology. a progressive wave of excitation over a nerve or muscle fiber, having either a stimulating or inhibitory effect.
8.Mechanics. the product of the average force acting upon a body and the time during which it acts, equivalent to the change in the momentum of the body produced by such a force.
9.Electricity. a single, usually sudden, flow of current in one direction.
–adjective
10.marked by or acting on impulse: an impulse buyer.
11.bought or acquired on impulse: To reduce expenses, shun impulse items when shopping.
[Origin: 1640–50; < L impulsus pressure, impulse, equiv. to im- im-1 + pul- (var. s. of pellere to push) + -sus, var. of -tus suffix of v. action]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
im·pulse       (ĭm'pŭls')  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
    1. An impelling force; an impetus.
    2. The motion produced by such a force.
  2. A sudden wish or urge that prompts an unpremeditated act or feeling; an abrupt inclination: had an impulse to run away; an impulse of regret that made me hesitate; bought a hat on impulse.
  3. A motivating force or tendency: "Respect for the liberty of others is not a natural impulse in most men" (Bertrand Russell).
  4. Electronics A surge of electrical power in one direction.
  5. Physics The product obtained by multiplying the average value of a force by the time during which it acts. The impulse equals the change in momentum produced by the force in this time interval.
  6. Physiology The electrochemical transmission of a signal along a nerve fiber that produces an excitatory or inhibitory response at a target tissue, such as a muscle or another nerve.

adj.   Characterized by impulsiveness or acting on impulse: an impulse shopper; impulse buying.


[Latin impulsus, from past participle of impellere, to impel; see impel.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
impulse 
1432 (implied in impulsion) "an act of impelling, a thrust, push," from L. impulsus "a push against, pressure, shock," also "incitement, instigation," pp. of impellere (see impel). Meaning "stimulus in the mind arising from some state or feeling" first recorded 1647. Impulsive (1604) originally was in ref. to medicines that reduce swelling or tumors; sense of "rash" first recorded 1847.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
impulse

noun
1. an instinctive motive; "profound religious impulses" [syn: urge] 
2. a sudden desire; "he bought it on an impulse" [syn: caprice] 
3. the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber; "they demonstrated the transmission of impulses from the cortex to the hypothalamus" [syn: nerve impulse] 
4. (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients); "the pulsations seemed to be coming from a star" [syn: pulsation] 
5. the act of applying force suddenly; "the impulse knocked him over" 
6. an impelling force or strength; "the car's momentum carried it off the road" [syn: momentum] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
impulse       (ĭm'pŭls')  Pronunciation Key 
  1. A sudden flow of electrical current in one direction.
  2. An electrical signal traveling along the axon of a neuron. Nerve impulses excite or inhibit activity in other neurons or in the tissues of the body, such as muscles and glands.
  3. The change of momentum of a body or physical system over a time interval in classical mechanics, equal to the force applied times the length of the time interval over which it is applied.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

impulse im·pulse (ĭm'pŭls')
n.

  1. A sudden pushing or driving force.
  2. A sudden wish or urge that prompts an unpremeditated act or feeling; an abrupt inclination.
  3. The electrochemical transmission of a signal along a nerve fiber that produces an excitatory or inhibitory response at a target tissue.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Impulse

Im"pulse\, n. [L. impulsus, fr. impellere. See Impel.]

1. The act of impelling, or driving onward with sudden force; impulsion; especially, force so communicated as to produced motion suddenly, or immediately.

All spontaneous animal motion is performed by mechanical impulse. --S. Clarke.

2. The effect of an impelling force; motion produced by a sudden or momentary force.

3. (Mech.) The action of a force during a very small interval of time; the effect of such action; as, the impulse of a sudden blow upon a hard elastic body.

4. A mental force which simply and directly urges to action; hasty inclination; sudden motive; momentary or transient influence of appetite or passion; propension; incitement; as, a man of good impulses; passion often gives a violent impulse to the will.

These were my natural impulses for the undertaking. --Dryden.

Syn: Force; incentive; influence; motive; feeling; incitement; instigation.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Impulse

Im*pulse"\, v. t. [See Impel.] To impel; to incite. [Obs.] --Pope.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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