impellere

Impellere is an Italian verb meaning to push forward, to drive, or to urge someone or something into action. It can describe a physical act of pushing as well as a figurative one, such as prompting a decision or motivating a person to act. In usage, it is transitive and commonly appears with a direct object, sometimes followed by the preposition a before an infinitive, for example impellere qualcuno a fare qualcosa.

Etymology traces impellere to the Latin impellere, formed from in- (toward) and pellere (to push). The word entered Italian with senses related to applying a push or motive force that causes motion or action. It sits in the same semantic field as spingere and incitare, but impellere carries a more formal or literary tone and can imply external pressure or a strong incentive.

Grammatical notes: impellere belongs to the second conjugation of Italian -ere verbs. In the present indicative, it forms with the stem impell- and standard endings: impello, impelli, impelle, impelliamo, impellete, impellono. Like other -ere verbs, it follows regular patterns in many tenses, though some instances or regional usages may show irregularities or stylistic variation. In compound tenses, the auxiliary is avere.

Usage considerations: in contemporary Italian, impellere is relatively formal or literary and may be substituted with more common verbs such as spingere, incoraggiare, or stimolare depending on the nuance. It remains a precise option when the speaker wishes to emphasize an impetus or external drive behind action.

See also: spingere, incitare, stimolare. In specialized or historical texts, impellere may appear with a stronger sense of force or obligation than more ordinary verbs.