kəmˈpəlshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English compulsioun, from Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French compulsion, from Late Latin compulsion-, compulsio, from Latin compulsus (past participle of compellere to compel) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at compel
1.
a. : an act of compelling : a driving by force, power, pressure, or necessity
I do not assert that rational reform can wholly dispense with physical compulsion — J.A.Hobson
by compulsion of the swirling currents — Mark Twain
acting under compulsion , not on his own free will
b. : a force or agency that compels
it is a shapeless book and it lacks the compulsion of the best narrative — John Buchan
c. : a condition marked by compelling, by forced action or assent
peonage is service to a private master at which a man is kept by bodily compulsion against his will — O.W.Holmes †1935
2. : an irresistible impulse to perform an irrational act the performance of which tends to disturb a neurotic doer but not a psychotic — compare obsession
Synonyms: see force