impetus

Where does the word "impetus" come from? It comes from Latin impetus, passing through Medieval Latin before entering English (1640s).

Impetus’s story begins in Latin: impetus meant “attack, force.” An attack or rush, from 'impetere', to assail. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Medieval Latin as impetus. The Paris philosopher Jean Buridan used it for the force that keeps a thrown object moving. It reached English by 1640s as impetus. Borrowed into English science, and later for any driving force. Today, impetus means the force that makes something happen or move.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient impetus "attack, force", an attack or rush, from 'impetere', to assail.
2. Stage 2 · Medieval Latin · 1300s impetus "moving force", the Paris philosopher Jean Buridan used it for the force that keeps a thrown object moving.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1640s impetus "driving force", borrowed into English science, and later for any driving force.