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⇱ impetus - WordReference.com Dictionary of English


impetus

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈɪmpɪtəs/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈɪmpɪtəs/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(impi təs)

Inflections of 'impetus' (n): npl: impetuses

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
im•pe•tus /ˈɪmpɪtəs/USA pronunciation   n., pl. -tus•es. 
  1. a force that moves one to action;
    impulse:[countable]Some children need an impetus to study.
  2. Mechanics the momentum of a moving body:[uncountable]The sled zoomed downhill under its own impetus.
See -pet-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
im•pe•tus  (impi təs),USA pronunciation n., pl. -tus•es. 
  1. a moving force;
    impulse;
    stimulus:The grant for building the opera house gave impetus to the city's cultural life.
  2. Mechanics(broadly) the momentum of a moving body, esp. with reference to the cause of motion.
  • Latin: an attack, literally, a rushing into, perh. by haplology from *impetitus (though the expected form would be *impetītus; see appetite), equivalent. to impetī-, variant stem of impetere to attack (im- im-1 + petere to make for, assault) + -tus suffix of verb, verbal action
  • 1650–60
    1. stimulation, spur, boost.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
impetus /ˈɪmpɪtəs/ n ( pl -tuses)
  1. an impelling movement or force; incentive or impulse; stimulus
  2. the force that sets a body in motion or that tends to resist changes in a body's motion
Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin: attack, from impetere to assail, from im- (in) + petere to make for, seek out
'impetus' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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