Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “impulsive” come from?

Impulsive comes from Middle French impulsif, derived from Latin impulsivus, combining the Latin prefix in- and the root of Latin impellere meaning "to drive forward."

impulsive (English): Having the power of driving or impelling; giving...

Definitions

  1. Having the power of driving or impelling; giving...

Ancestry of “impulsive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchimpulsif—
2Latinimpulsivusimpulsive
3Latinimpulsuspushed, driven, assailed, having been pushed or...
4Latinimpellō—
5Latinīn-—
6Latinîn—
7Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
8Proto-Italicenin
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “impulsive”

  • impulsively
  • impulsivity
  • impulsiveness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →