impulse

nounverbcommon in dialogue

//ˈɪmpʌls//

A thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels.

noun

1
A thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels.
c. 1715-1716, Samuel Clarke, letter to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz All spontaneous animal motion is performed by mechanical impulse.
2
A wish or urge, particularly a sudden one prompting action.
The impulse to learn drove me to study night and day.
When I saw the new book, I couldn't resist the impulse to browse through it.
Theſe were my natural Impulses for the undertaking: […]
Tony's face expressed relief, and Nettie sat silent for a moment until the vicar said “It was a generous impulse, but it may have been a momentary one,[…].”
3
The integral of force over time.
The total impulse from the impact will depend on the kinetic energy of the projectile.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French impulser, from Latin impulsus.

verb

1
To impel; to incite.
With that force so impulsed and prest they are carried under the deepe Ocean.

Forms

plural: impulses
past tense: impulsed
past participle: impulsed
present participle: impulsing
third person singular: impulses

improvement · The act of improving; advancement or growth; a bettering improving · That tends to improve someone or something (especially…improvise · To make something up or invent it as one goes on; to proceed…

impulse · A thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels.

impulsive · Having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse;…in · Used to indicate location, inclusion, or position within…in- · in, into, towards, within.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.