Where does “impact” come from?
Impact derives from Latin impactus, past participle of impingo, composed of the prefix in- and pingo, ultimately descending through Proto-Indo-European ne and h₁én.
impact (English): The striking of one body against another;...
Definitions
- The striking of one body against another;...
Ancestry of “impact”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | impāctus | — |
| 2 | Latin | impingo | I push, strike, dash against; I press upon, force... |
| 3 | Latin | īn- | — |
| 4 | Latin | în | — |
| 5 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
Words derived from “impact”