Impetus 是一个与英语单词impetuous（冲动的、鲁莽的、轻率的）比较形近也容易混淆的单词，源自拉丁语impetere（攻击、袭击），15世纪初进入英语后原拼作impetous表示“迅速移动”，到了17世纪40年代发展出现代拼法并转而表示物体移动时的“动力、动量”，常暗示有着巨大的动力或者强大的驱动力，

比如：

A flurry of wind upset the boat soon after the boat lost all its impetus.船失去全部动力之后不久被一阵疾风吹翻了。

不过平时更多的是用其比喻义表示“推动、促进、刺激”，常搭配impetus for/to sth或

impetus to do sth

The nimble and versatile wit was restless and needed a new impetus for his talent.，多指对已经开始的活动或行动进行刺激以增加动力，也可以用来表示活动或行动启动时的刺激，比如：那个机敏而又多才多艺的才子躁动不安，需要为自己的才华找到新的突破口。

His articles provided the main impetus to bridge the chasm between his estranged wife and him.他的那些文章是弥合他和分居妻子之间的鸿沟的主要推动力。

If we face challenges head-on, boost confidence in development, create strong impetus for growth, and preserve and make the most of this important period of strategic opportunity for our development, we will, without doubt, be able to make it through this challenging time. The horizons for China's development are full of promise.权威用例只要直面挑战，坚定发展信心，增强发展动力，维护和用好我国发展重要战略机遇期，当前的难关一定能闯过，中国的发展必将充满希望。

Report on the Work of the Government 2020 ） 。出自《2020年政府工作报告》（

impulsion: the force or motive behind an action or process momentum: the impetus and driving force gained by the development of a process or course of events propulsion: the action of driving or pushing forward同近义词