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impetus - 4 dictionary results

im⋅pe⋅tus

  [im-pi-tuhs]
Use impetus in a Sentence
–noun, plural -tus⋅es.
1. a moving force; impulse; stimulus: The grant for building the opera house gave impetus to the city's cultural life.
2. (broadly) the momentum of a moving body, esp. with reference to the cause of motion.
Origin:
1650–60; < L: an attack, lit., a rushing into, perh. by haplology from *impetitus (though the expected form would be *impetītus; see appetite ), equiv. to impetī-, var. s. of impetere to attack (im- im- 1 + petere to make for, assault) + -tus suffix of v. action

Synonyms:
1. stimulation, spur, boost.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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im·pe·tus   (ĭm'pĭ-təs)   
n.   pl. im·pe·tus·es
  1. An impelling force; an impulse.
  2. The force or energy associated with a moving body.
    1. Something that incites; a stimulus.
    2. Increased activity in response to a stimulus: The approaching deadline gave impetus to the investigation.

[Middle English impetous, from Latin impetus, from impetere, to attack : in-, against; see in-2 + petere, to go towards, seek; see pet- 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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Impetus

Im"pe*tus\, n. [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.) The altitude through which a heavy body must fall to acquire a velocity equal to that with which a ball is discharged from a piece.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : impetus
Spanish: ímpetu,
German: der Antrieb,
Japanese: はずみ
More Translations »

impetus 
1641, from L. impetus "attack, assault, onset, impulse, violence, vigor, force, passion," related to impetere "to attack," from in- "into" + petere "aim for, rush at" (see petition).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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