impetuous

English

WOTD – 29 December 2009

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English, from Old French impetueux, from Late Latin impetuōsus (“violent”), from Latin impetus (“attack, violence”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /imˈpɛtʃuəs/

• Audio (AU):

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• Audio (US):

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Adjective

impetuous (comparative more impetuous, superlative most impetuous)

1. Making arbitrary decisions, especially in an impulsive and forceful manner.
   • 1880, John Weeks Moore, Complete Encyclopaedia of Music, "Beethoven, Louis Van":

     But it was natural, that the impetuous, restless young artist should incline more to excess of strength than of delicacy in his playing.

2. Characterized by sudden violence or vehemence.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 14, page 311:

     For with ſuch puiſſance and impetuous maine / Thoſe Champions broke on them, that forſt the fly, / Like ſcattered Sheepe, whenas the Shepherds ſwaine / A Lyon and a Tigre doth eſpye, / With greedy pace forth ruſhing from the foreſt nye.

   • 1794, Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho, vol. II, chapter I:

     He stands, and views in the faint rays
     Far, far below, the torrent's rising surge,
     And listens to the wild impetuous roar

   • 1813, Jane Austen, chapter 4, in Pride and Prejudice, volume III:

     "Oh! where, where is my uncle?" cried Elizabeth, darting from her seat as she finished the letter, in eagerness to follow him, with-out losing a moment of the time so precious; but as she reached the door, it was opened by a servant, and Mr. Darcy appeared. Her pale face and impetuous manner made him start […]

   • 1917 rev. 1925, Ezra Pound, "Canto I"

     Unsheathed the narrow sword,

     I sat to keep off the impetuous impotent dead ...

Synonyms

• impulsive
• hasty
• rash
• hotheaded

Derived terms

• impetuously
• impetuousness

Translations

describing one who makes arbitrary decisions

• Armenian: իմպուլսիվ (impulsiv)
• Basque: odolbero, oldartsu, oldar handiko
• Bulgarian: импулсивен (bg) (impulsiven), прибързан (bg) (pribǎrzan)
• Catalan: impetuós
• Czech: unáhlený, zbrklý (cs)
• Danish: impulsiv
• Dutch: impulsief (nl)
• Finnish: kiivas (fi), kiihkeä (fi), raju (fi), äkkipikainen (fi)
• French: impulsif (fr), irréfléchi (fr)
• German: ungestüm (de), impulsiv (de), leidenschaftlich (de), unüberlegt (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ὁρμητικός (hormētikós)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: hirtelen (hu)
• Italian: impulsivo (it)
• Maori: takahorohoro, manawarere, kowheta
• Norwegian: impulsstyrt
• Polish: zapalczywy (pl), impulsywny (pl), porywczy (pl)
• Portuguese: impetuoso (pt)
• Romanian: impetuos (ro)
• Russian: поспе́шный (ru) m (pospéšnyj), опроме́тчивый (ru) (oprométčivyj)
• Slovak: zbrklý, impulzívny
• Spanish: impulsivo (es), irreflexivo (es)
• Tagalog: mapusok (tl)

characterized by sudden and violent force

• Armenian: բուռն (hy) (buṙn), սրընթաց (hy) (srəntʻacʻ), պոռթկուն (hy) (poṙtʻkun)
• Bulgarian: буен (bg) (buen), необуздан (bg) (neobuzdan)
• Catalan: impetuós
• Danish: opfarende, heftig, fremfusende
• Dutch: onstuimig (nl), bruusk (nl), gewelddadig (nl)
• Finnish: raju (fi), kiihkeä (fi)
• French: impétueux (fr), brutal (fr), brusque (fr), violent (fr)
• German: ungestüm (de), stürmisch (de), brüsk (de), heftig (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: θούριος (thoúrios), θοῦρος (thoûros)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: indulatos (hu)
• Italian: irruente (it)
• Maori: totoa, taikaha
• Norwegian: oppfarende, fremfusende
• Portuguese: impetuoso (pt), brusco (pt)
• Romanian: impetuos (ro)
• Russian: поры́вистый (ru) (porývistyj), стреми́тельный (ru) (stremítelʹnyj)
• Slovak: prudký
• Spanish: impetuoso (es), brutal (es), brusco (es), violento (es)
• Tagalog: mapusok (tl)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} impétueux (fr), ^{(please verify)} brusque (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} tanpa pikir panjang, ^{(please verify)} sembrono (id)