Repulse

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈpʌls/

Definitions

1. To drive back or reject with force, or to cause feelings of disgust and aversion in someone
2. To forcefully drive someone away or to evoke strong feelings of distaste and rejection in an individual
3. To push back or repel with intensity, while simultaneously inducing a sense of revulsion or strong disapproval in another person

Etymology: The verb "repulse" is a compound of "re-" (back) and "pulse" (from Latin "pellere", to drive), so its core sense is literally "drive back." The Latin verb "repellere" gave rise to the past participle "repulsus," and from that came the feminine noun "repulsa," a rejection or refusal, which is the direct ancestor of the English noun. The noun passed into Old French as "repulse," meaning a check or defeat in battle, and English took it from there, so the military sense of being beaten back came into English first, well before the emotional sense of being put off by someone. The verb followed a similar path. Middle English "repulsen" was a learned borrowing from the Latin participle "repulsus," which means that medieval English speakers reached back to Latin for the word rather than inheriting it through everyday speech. The modern sense of evoking strong distaste is a later extension of the original physical act of forcing something away.

Synonyms: repel, drive away, reject, refuse, disgust

Antonyms: attract, welcome, embrace, accept, receive