Jumpstarting

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Starting a vehicle's engine by supplying external electrical power quickly ; rapidly initiating or restarting an activity or process to gain momentum
2. Providing a quick electrical boost to a car battery to start the engine ; expediting the beginning or revival of an action or project with energy
3. Using external power to promptly start a motor vehicle ; jump-starting the immediate onset or renewal of an event or task

Etymology: "Jumpstarting" is the present participle of "jumpstart," a verb built from "jump" and "start." The compound's literal sense is the one it still carries in the car sense: to get an engine turning by using a current borrowed from another battery, so that the starter motor is "jumped" into action. The figurative use, meaning to give a sluggish project or effort a quick push toward beginning or reviving, grew naturally out of that mechanical image. The word is a plain compound with no foreign root, and its two halves are ordinary English. "Jump" in the sense of a sudden leap or spring, and "start" in the sense of setting something in motion, combine into a term that describes an action done in a single rapid burst.

Synonyms: starting, initiating, activating, sparking, energizing

Antonyms: stopping, halting, ending, ceasing, deactivating