impetus

/ˈɪmpətəs/IM-puh-tuhs

/ˈɪmpətəs/IM-puh-tuhs

Meaninga rushing at

Common meaning: a driving force

imin, into
petto aim at, seekLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1364 · scan
usLatin noun ending

‘in, into’ + ‘to aim at, seek’ → impetus

Journey through time

Latinpetō, petīvī, petītum‘to aim at, seek’
Englishimpetus‘a driving force’ · today

im- also in: imbibe immure impale impart impede

pet also in: recompete

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin petō ‘to aim at, seek’.

Roots

petō, petīvī, petītum Latin “to aim at, seek”

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