Where does “repulse” come from?
Repulse comes from Latin repulsus, the past participle of repellere, meaning to drive back, formed from the prefix re- and the root pelh₂- meaning to thrust or drive.
repulse (English): To repel or drive back; To reject or rebuff; To...
Definitions
- To repel or drive back; To reject or rebuff; To...
Ancestry of “repulse”, step by step
repulse traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English pulse
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pulse | A normally regular beat felt when arteries are... |
| 2 | Middle English | pulse | — |
| 3 | Latin | pulsus | pulse, impulse, beat, stroke; expelled, kicked... |
| 4 | Latin | pellō | to push, drive, hurl, impel, propel; expel, banish, eject, thrust out |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | pelnō | approach, go to; bring close |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pelh₂- | to approach |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |
via Middle English repulse
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | repulse | — |