Where does “impulse” come from?
Impulse comes from Middle French impulser, from Latin impulsus, the past participle of impello meaning to drive or push forward, from in- and the root pelh₂- meaning to thrust.
impulse (English): A thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels; A...
Definitions
- A thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels; A...
Ancestry of “impulse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | impulser | — |
| 2 | Latin | impulsus | pushed, driven, assailed, having been pushed or... |
| 3 | Latin | impellō | to push, drive or strike against something; assail |
| 4 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 5 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 6 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |