What does the latin word impetus mean?

Impetus is a Latin word that means "driving force" or "impulse". It can be used in a physical sense, to describe the force that propels an object forward, or in a more abstract sense, to describe the force that motivates a person to act. In physics, impetus is defined as the product of an object's mass and velocity. In psychology, impetus is often used to describe the initial motivation that drives a person to take action.