ˈimpəd.əs, -pətəs noun
( -es )
Etymology: Latin, attack, assault, impetus, from impetere to attack, from in- in- (II) + petere to go to or toward, rush at, attack, seek — more at feather
1.
a.
(1) : a driving or impelling force
trying to discover the impetus behind all this activity
: impulse
an intermittent force, each impetus being of only the shortest duration
(2) : incentive , stimulus
felt no impetus to do well in school
b. : stimulation or encouragement resulting in increased activity
gave a good deal of impetus to the musical activity of the city
2. : the property possessed by a moving body in virtue of its mass and its motion — used of bodies moving suddenly or violently to indicate the origin and intensity of the motion rather than the quantity or effectiveness