Im"pe*tus (?), n. [L., fr.
impetere to rush upon, attack; pref. im- in +
petere to fall upon, seek. See Petition.]
1. A property possessed by a moving body in
virtue of its weight and its motion; the force with which any body is
driven or impelled; momentum.
☞ Momentum is the technical term, impetus its
popular equivalent, yet differing from it as applied commonly to
bodies moving or moved suddenly or violently, and indicating the
origin and intensity of the motion, rather than its quantity or
effectiveness.
2. Fig.: Impulse; incentive; vigor;
force. Buckle.
3. (Gun.) The altitude through which a
heavy body must fall to acquire a velocity equal to that with which a
ball is discharged from a piece.