impetuous
pronunciation
How to pronounce impetuous in British English:
UK [ɪmˈpetʃuəs]
How to pronounce impetuous in American English:
US [ɪmˈpetʃuəs]
-
- Adjective:
- characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation
- marked by violent force
Word Origin
- 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’).=> appetite, compete, impetus, perpetuate, petulant, repeat
- impetuous (adj.)
- late 14c., "hot-tempered, fierce," from Old French impetuos (13c.) and directly from Late Latin impetuosus "impetuous, violent," from Latin impetus "attack" (see impetus). Related: Impetuously; impetuousness.
Example
- 1. He is an impetuous , headstrong workaholic , who is reluctant to delegate .
- 2. Calm and conciliatory pragmatism is welcome after george bush 's impetuous moral certitude , but it also carries risks .
- 3. Everyone knows that a single impetuous action deemed by one side to flout the agreement could set the cycle of tit-for-tat violence spinning again .
- 4. Mr saakashvili is an impetuous nationalist who has lately tarnished his democratic credentials . His venture into south ossetia was foolish and possibly criminal .
- 5. President george w bush comes across as circumspect and more than happy to delegate , contrary to the impetuous , god-fearing crusader of the popular imagination .