Etymograph

English

impulsor

Impulsor comes from Latin impulsor ‘inciter, instigator’, from impellō ‘to push, drive or strike against something’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én ‘in’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁én1‘in’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*en1‘in’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*en-1‘in, into, in-’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pelnō1‘to approach’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpellō1‘to push, drive, hurl, impel, propel’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimpellō1‘to push, drive or strike against something’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimpulsor1‘inciter, instigator’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1658impulsor1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English impulsor
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1658, Sir Thomas Browne: “Which consisting of two Vectes or armes, converted towards…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁énWiktionary, English impulsor‘in’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*enWiktionary, English impulsor‘in’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*en-Wiktionary, English impulsor‘in, into, in-’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pelnōWiktionary, English impulsor‘to approach’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpellōWiktionary, English impulsor‘to push, drive, hurl, impel, propel’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimpellōWiktionary, English impulsor‘to push, drive or strike against something’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimpulsorWiktionary, English impulsor‘inciter, instigator’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1658impulsorWiktionary, English impulsor. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1658, Sir Thomas Browne: “Which consisting of two Vectes or armes, converted towards…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁én ‘in’

in, internal, entrance, indigenous, intern, endo, dysentery, interregnum, enteral, 31 more

through Proto-Italic *en ‘in’

encounter, intimate, ensemble, intestine, agog, intimation, 7 more

through Proto-Italic *en- ‘in, into, in-’

infirmary, incense, incubation, infirm, incubus, incubate, censer, 6 more

through Proto-Italic *pelnō ‘to approach’

repellent, repulse, 10 more

through Latin pellō ‘to push, drive, hurl, impel, propel’

appeal, repeal, pulse, appellate, expel, repel, propel, dispel, compel, propulsion, expulsion, pelt, compulsory, compulsive, rappel, 15 more

through Latin impellō ‘to push, drive or strike against something’

impel, 2 more

Today it means

noun One who or that which impels; an inciter, an instigator.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “impulsor”. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *h₁én / impulsor

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