Propels

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Causes something to move forward with force or energy
2. Moves or pushes an object ahead, typically through some power or force
3. Drives something onward by applying pressure or energy

Etymology: "Propels" is the third-person singular present form of "propel", so it gets its meaning and history from that verb. "Propel" came into Middle English as "propellen", meaning "drive out" or "expel", and the sense of pushing something forward came later. The root is Latin "propellere", built from "pro-", meaning "forward", and "pellere", meaning "to push" or "to drive". The Latin verb itself shows the original picture: something is driven forward by a firm shove. English kept the forward motion but used it for anything from a boat pushed by oars to an engine turning a propeller, and the word has since stretched to describe ideas and people being pushed onward too. The root "pel-" also appears in "repel" and "compel", which share the same core notion of driving.

Synonyms: drives, pushes, forces, thrusts, shoves

Antonyms: stops, holds, restrains, retards, delays