Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “impetuosity” come from?

Impetuosity derives from Middle French impétuosité, meaning violent or forceful quality, describing the characteristic of acting with intense and uncontrollable force.

impetuosity (English): The quality of making rash or arbitrary...

Definitions

  1. The quality of making rash or arbitrary...

Ancestry of “impetuosity”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishimpetuousMaking arbitrary decisions, especially in an...
2Middle Englishimpetuous—
3Old Frenchimpetueuxforceful; violent; strong
4Late Latinimpetuosusviolent
5Latinimpetusan attack, assault; a rapid motion; a making for
6Latinimpetō—
7Latinīn-—
8Latinîn—
9Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
10Proto-Italicenin
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →