impulse
[ im-puhls ]
/ ˈɪm pʌls /
noun
adjective
marked by or acting on impulse: an impulse buyer.
bought or acquired on impulse: To reduce expenses, shun impulse items when shopping.
Origin of impulse
1640–50; < Latin
impulsus pressure, impulse, equivalent to
im-
im-1 +
pul- (variant stem of
pellere to push) +
-sus, variant of
-tus suffix of v. action
Words nearby impulse
Example sentences from the Web for impulse
British Dictionary definitions for impulse
impulse
/ (ˈɪmpʌls) /
noun
Word Origin for impulse
C17: from Latin
impulsus a pushing against, incitement, from
impellere to strike against; see
impel
Medical definitions for impulse
impulse
[ ĭm′pŭls′ ]
n.
A sudden pushing or driving force.
A sudden wish or urge that prompts an unpremeditated act or feeling; an abrupt inclination.
The electrochemical transmission of a signal along a nerve fiber that produces an excitatory or inhibitory response at a target tissue.
Scientific definitions for impulse
impulse
[ ĭm′pŭls′ ]
A sudden flow of electrical current in one direction.
An electrical signal traveling along the axon of a neuron. Nerve impulses excite or inhibit activity in other neurons or in the tissues of the body, such as muscles and glands.
The change of momentum of a body or physical system over a time interval in classical mechanics, equal to the force applied times the length of the time interval over which it is applied.