Etymograph

English

impact

Impact comes from Latin impāctus.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimpāctus1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2014impact1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English impact
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2014, Mike Williams, Microbullet hits confirm graphene’s strength: “As a microbullet impacts the graphene, the diameter of…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimpāctusWiktionary, English impact
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2014impactWiktionary, English impact. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2014, Mike Williams, Microbullet hits confirm graphene’s strength: “As a microbullet impacts the graphene, the diameter of…”

The story

Attested since the 17th century, from Latin impāctus.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Every English word from Latin impāctus

Today it means

noun The striking of one body against another; collision.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “impact”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin impāctus / impact

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