impetus

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 27, 2022 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>impetus</strong> &#149; \IM-puh-tus\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p>An <em>impetus</em> is "a force that causes or encourages something to be done or to become more active."</p> <p>// The high salary and generous benefits package were <em>impetus</em> enough to apply for the job.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impetus">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Social media is often the <em>impetus</em> for the feeling of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/FOMO">FOMO</a>. Deborah Tannen, a linguistics professor at Georgetown University, said she first heard about FOMO in relation to social media because it 'ratchets up the likelihood that you'll hear about an event you weren't invited to and have to actually see photos of the smiling, happy people who are at the event.'" — Alexis Benveniste, <em>The New York Times</em>, 25 Feb. 2022</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Impetus</em> comes from the Latin verb <em>impetere</em>, meaning "to attack," which is a combination of the prefix <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in-#h9">in-</a></em>, meaning "toward," with <em>petere</em>, meaning "to go to" or "to seek." Hence, <em>impetus</em> describes the kind of force that encourages an action ("The impetus behind the project") or the momentum of an action already begun ("The meetings only gave impetus to the rumors of a merger").</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>