impulse |
1. The act of impelling, or driving onward with sudden force; impulsion; especially, force so communicated as to produced motion suddenly, or immediately. "All spontaneous animal motion is performed by mechanical impulse." (S. Clarke) 2. The effect of an impelling force; motion produced by a sudden or momentary force. 3. <mechanics> The action of a force during a very small interval of time; the effect of such action; as, the impulse of a sudden blow upon a hard elastic body. 4. A mental force which simply and directly urges to action; hasty inclination; sudden motive; momentary or transient influence of appetite or passion; propension; incitement; as, a man of good impulses; passion often gives a violent impulse to the will. "These were my natural impulses for the undertaking." (Dryden) Synonym: Force, incentive, influence, motive, feeling, incitement, instigation. Origin: L. Impulsus, fr. Impellere. See Impel. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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impulse control disorder |
A class of mental disorder's characterised by an individual's failure to resist an impulse to perform some act harmful to himself or to others; includes pathological gambling, pedophilia, kleptomania, pyromania, trichotillomania, intermittent and isolated explosive disorder's. (05 Mar 2000) |
impulse control disorders |
Disorders whose essential features are the failure to resist an impulse, drive, or temptation to perform an act that is harmful to the individual or to others. Individuals experience an increased sense of tension prior to the act and pleasure, gratification or release of tension at the time of committing the act. (12 Dec 1998) |
impulsion |
An abnormal urge to perform a certain activity. (05 Mar 2000) |
impulsive |
1. Having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent. "Poor men! poor papers! We and they Do some impulsive force obey." (Prior) 2. Actuated by impulse or by transient feelings. "My heart, impulsive and wayward." (Longfellow) 3. <mechanics> Acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous; said of forces. Origin: Cf. F. Impulsif. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
impulsive behaviour |
An act performed without delay, reflection, voluntary direction or obvious control in response to a stimulus. (12 Dec 1998) |
impure |
1. Not pure; not clean; dirty; foul; filthy; containing something which is unclean or unwholesome; mixed or impregnated extraneous substances; adulterated; as, impure water or air; impure drugs, food, etc. 2. Defiled by sin or guilt; unholy; unhallowed; said of persons or things. 3. Unchaste; lewd; unclean; obscene; as, impure language or ideas. "Impure desires." 4. Not purified according to the ceremonial law of Moses; unclean. 5. Not accurate; not idiomatic; as, impure Latin; an impure style. Origin: L. Impurus; pref. Im- not + purus pure: cf. F. Impur. See Pure. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
impure flutter |
Mixture of atrial flutter (FF) waves and fibrillation (ff) waves in the electrocardiogram. Synonym: fibrilloflutter, flutter-fibrillation. (05 Mar 2000) |
impurities |
<radiobiology> Atoms (or ions) of unwanted elements in the plasma, which tend to degrade plasma performance, and in the case of fusion plasmas tends to inhibit fusion (poisoning the reactor). See: poisoning. (09 Oct 1997) |
impurity |
Origin: L. Impuritas: cf. F. Impurete. 1. The condition or quality of being impure in any sense; defilement; foulness; adulteration. "Profaneness, impurity, or scandal, is not wit." (Buckminster) 2. That which is, or which renders anything, impure; foul matter, action, language, etc.; a foreign ingredient. "Foul impurities reigned among the monkish clergy." (Atterbury) 3. Want of ceremonial purity; defilement. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
impurity control |
<radiobiology> Processes which reduce or control the level of impurities in a plasma, and thereby improve its quality. See: wall conditioning. (09 Oct 1997) |
impurple |
To colour or tinge with purple; to make red or reddish; to purple; as, a field impurpled with blood. "Impurpled with celestial roses, smiled." (Milton) "The silken fleece impurpled for the loom." (Pope) Origin: Pref. Im- in + purple. Cf. Empurple. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
imputation |
1. The act of imputing or charging; attribution; ascription; also, anything imputed or charged. "Shylock. Antonio is a good man. Bassanio. Have you heard any imputation to the contrary?" (Shak) "If I had a suit to Master Shallow, I would humor his men with the imputation of being near their master." (Shak) 2. Charge or attribution of evil; censure; reproach; insinuation. "Let us be careful to guard ourselves against these groundless imputation of our enemies." (Addison) 3. A setting of something to the account of; the attribution of personal guilt or personal righteousness of another; as, the imputation of the sin of Adam, or the righteousness of Christ. 4. Opinion; intimation; hint. Origin: L. Imputatio an account, a charge: cf. F. Imputation. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
impute |
1. To charge; to ascribe; to attribute; to set to the account of; to charge to one as the author, responsible originator, or possessor; generally in a bad sense. "Nor you, ye proud, impute to these the fault, if memory o'er their tomb no trophies raise." (Gray) "One vice of a darker shade was imputed to him envy." (Macaulay) 2. To adjudge as one's own (the sin or righteousness) of another; as, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. "It was imputed to him for righteousness." (Rom. Iv. 22) "They merit Imputed shall absolve them who renounce Their own, both righteous and unrighteous deeds." (Milton) 3. To take account of; to consider; to regard. "If we impute this last humiliation as the cause of his death." (Gibbon) Synonym: To ascribe, attribute, charge, reckon, consider, imply, insinuate, refer. See Ascribe. Origin: F. Imputer, L. Imputare to bring into the reckoning, charge, impute; pref. Im- in + putare to reckon, think. See Putative. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |