impetus

[im-pi-tuhs]

noun

plural

impetuses 

1. a moving force; impulse; stimulus.

   The grant for building the opera house gave impetus to the city's cultural life.

   Synonyms: boost, spur, stimulation

2. (broadly) the momentum of a moving body, especially with reference to the cause of motion.

impetus

/ ˈɪmpɪtəs /

noun

1. an impelling movement or force; incentive or impulse; stimulus

2. physics the force that sets a body in motion or that tends to resist changes in a body's motion

Word History and Origins

Origin of impetus¹

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin: “an attack,” literally, “a rushing into,” perhaps by haplology from unattested impetitus (though the expected form would be unattested impetītus; appetite ), equivalent to impetī-, variant stem of impetere “to attack” ( im- im- ¹ + petere “to make for, assault”) + -tus suffix of verb action

Word History and Origins

Origin of impetus¹

C17: from Latin: attack, from impetere to assail, from _im- (in) + petere to make for, seek out

Example Sentences

I don’t think that I want to take eight bars of so and so’s song and throw them into mine, but the impetus, or the feeling of their song, triggered something in me.

From Los Angeles Times

She says there appears to be new impetus from the board and donors.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr Brown added the case "runs the risk of acting as an impetus for further protests, some of which may be disorderly, around other asylum accommodation".

From BBC

The impetus for this widespread wild weather was a late-arriving monsoonal pattern, fueled by the region’s lingering heat that pulled atmospheric moisture north — and, with it, instability.

From Los Angeles Times

They also warned that the interim injunction risked "acting as an impetus for further violent protests" around other asylum accommodation.

From BBC

Related Words

• catalyst 
• impulse 
• incentive 
• momentum 
• motivation 
• stimulant