Impinging

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Coming into contact with a surface or intruding upon a space by physical impact or contact ; producing a notable or forceful effect on something or someone
2. Hitting or pressing against an area or boundary, thereby intruding on it ; exerting a powerful or direct influence that alters a situation or condition
3. Making physical contact by striking or infringing on an area ; strongly affecting or influencing in a way that changes outcomes or perceptions

Etymology: "Impinging" is the present participle of "impinge," which English took directly from Latin "impingere," meaning "to dash against" or "to strike into." The Latin verb was built from "in-" ("into, against") and "pangere" ("to fasten, drive in"), so its original picture is physical: something driven forcefully into or against a surface. The same Latin root sits behind "pact" and "compact," both of which once suggested things fixed firmly together. English kept that sense of striking against a surface for a long time before the figurative meaning took over. Today a sound or ray can impinge on an area, and a policy can impinge on your freedom, so the word now covers both a physical collision and an intrusion on someone's rights or affairs. The noun "impact," which shares the same Latin source through the past participle "impactus," followed a similar path from literal collision to figurative effect.

Synonyms: colliding, striking, impacting, encroaching, interfering

Antonyms: receding, withdrawing