Impulse

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɪmpʌls/

Definitions

1. A sudden strong urge or desire to act without thinking about the consequences
2. A quick, spontaneous feeling prompting immediate action ; a rapid electrical signal transmitted along nerves to convey information ; a short, powerful push or force that causes motion
3. An unplanned strong desire to do something instantly ; a fleeting nerve impulse that carries messages between parts of the body ; a momentary burst of power that initiates movement or change

Etymology: The Latin verb "impellere" meant "to push against" or "to drive forward," and its past participle "impulsus" gave English a word for the force behind a shove. That physical sense of a driving push came first; the idea of a sudden urge to act grew out of it, as if an inner force were nudging a person forward from within. The nerve sense, a signal travelling along a nerve, is a later extension built on the same notion of a push passed along a line. English took the word from Middle French "impulser," a verb meaning "to drive on," which had itself been formed from the Latin participle, so the word arrived via French rather than straight from Latin.

Synonyms: urge, desire, drive, instinct, spontaneity

Antonyms: inhibition, restraint, control, deliberation, thoughtfulness