impetuous

impetuous
\ \ [14] Etymologically, impetuous means ‘having impetus’. It comes from Latin impetuōsus, a derivative of the noun impetus ‘attack’ (source of English impetus [17]), which in turn was based on impetere ‘attack’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix in- ‘against’ and petere ‘go towards, seek, attack’ (source of English appetite, compete, perpetuate, petition, petulant, and repeat). The etymological idea underlying both words is thus of ‘rushing towards something with great violence or aggression’. Another member of the same family is impetigo [16], the name of a sort of skin disease. This was borrowed from Latin impetīgō, whose medical meaning was a specialization of an earlier and much more general ‘attack’ (as in ‘an attack of eczema’).
\ \ Cf.⇒ APPETITE, COMPETE, IMPETUS, PERPETUATE, PETULANT, REPEAT

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?
Synonyms:
, , , , , , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Impetuous — Im*pet u*ous, a. [F. impetueux, L. impetuosus. See {Impetus}.] 1. Rushing with force and violence; moving with impetus; furious; forcible; violent; as, an impetuous wind; an impetuous torrent. [1913 Webster] Went pouring forward with impetuous… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Impetuous — may refer to:* Impetuous Theater Group, a theatre company * USS Impetuous (PYc 46), a United States Navy patrol boat …   Wikipedia

  • impetuous — (adj.) late 14c., hot tempered, fierce, from O.Fr. impetuos (13c.) and directly from L.L. impetuosus impetuous, violent, from L. impetus attack (see IMPETUS (Cf. impetus)). Related: Impetuously; impetuousness …   Etymology dictionary

  • impetuous — [im pech′o͞o əs] adj. [ME impetuouse < OFr impetueuse < L impetuosus < impetus: see IMPETUS] 1. moving with great force or violence; having great impetus; rushing; furious [impetuous winds] 2. acting or done suddenly with little thought; …   English World dictionary

  • impetuous — I adjective capricious, careless, dashing, disordered, emotional, excitable, fervid, hasty, heedless, impatient, impressionable, impulsive incautious, intense, mercurial, precipitate, quick, rash, reckless, slapdash, spontaneous, stormy,… …   Law dictionary

  • impetuous — headlong, *precipitate, abrupt, hasty, sudden Analogous words: impulsive, *spontaneous: vehement, intense, violent: forceful, forcible, *powerful: violent (see corresponding noun at FORCE): impatient, restive: impassioned, passionate, fervid,… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • impetuous — [adj] acting without thinking abrupt, ardent, eager, fervid, fierce, furious, going off deep end*, hasty, headlong, hurried, impassioned, impulsive, passionate, precipitant, precipitate, precipitous, rash, restive, rushing, spontaneous, spur of… …   New thesaurus

  • impetuous — ► ADJECTIVE 1) acting or done quickly and rashly. 2) moving forcefully or rapidly. DERIVATIVES impetuosity noun impetuously adverb impetuousness noun. ORIGIN Latin impetuosus, from impetere to attack …   English terms dictionary

  • impetuous — impetuously, adv. impetuousness, n. /im pech ooh euhs/, adj. 1. of, pertaining to, or characterized by sudden or rash action, emotion, etc.; impulsive: an impetuous decision; an impetuous person. 2. having great impetus; moving with great force;… …   Universalium

  • impetuous — im•pet•u•ous [[t]ɪmˈpɛtʃ u əs[/t]] adj. 1) of, pertaining to, or characterized by sudden or rash action or emotion 2) moving with great force; violent: impetuous winds[/ex] • Etymology: 1350–1400; ME < AF < LL impetuōsus= L impetu(s)… …   From formal English to slang

  • impetuous — adj. impetuous to + inf. (it was impetuous of her to do that) * * * [ɪm petʃʊəs] impetuous to + inf. (it was impetuous of her to do that) …   Combinatory dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”