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Definition of propulsion - 5 dictionary results

pro⋅pul⋅sion

  [pruh-puhl-shuhn]
Use propulsion in a Sentence
–noun
1. the act or process of propelling.
2. the state of being propelled.
3. a means of propelling; propelling force, impulse, etc.
Origin:
1605–15; < L prōpuls(us) (ptp. of prōpellere to propel ) + -ion

Related forms:
pro⋅pul⋅sive  [pruh-puhl-siv] , pro⋅pul⋅so⋅ry, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pro·pul·sion   (prə-pŭl'shən)   
n.  
  1. The process of driving or propelling.
  2. A driving or propelling force.

[Medieval Latin prōpulsiō, prōpulsiōn-, onslaught, urging on, from Latin prōpulsus, past participle of prōpellere, to drive forward; see propel.]
pro·pul'sive, pro·pul'so·ry (-sə-rē) adj.
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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Propulsion

Pro*pul"sion\, n. [Cf. F. propulsion. See Propel.]

1. The act driving forward or away; the act or process of propelling; as, steam propulsion.

2. An impelling act or movement.

God works in all things; all obey His first propulsion. --Whittier.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : propulsion
Spanish: propulsión,
German: der Antrieb,
Japanese: 推進
More Translations »

propulsion 
1611, "expulsion," noun of action formed from pp. stem of L. propellere "to propel" (see propel). Meaning "act of driving forward" first attested 1799.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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propulsion pro·pul·sion (prə-pŭl'shən)
n.

  1. A driving or propelling force.
  2. The leaning or falling forward characteristic of the festination of parkinsonism.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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