impingere

Impingere is a Latin verb meaning to press upon, to strike against, or to impose upon another. In classical Latin it is used to describe physical contact as well as figurative effects, such as a pressure, influence, or encroachment upon someone or something. The form impingit is found in various contexts, including descriptions of contact, contact with barriers, or the exertion of force.

Etymology and development: the verb is formed with the prefix in- meaning “upon” combined with a root related to pressing or striking. The word passed into English as impinge, retaining similar senses and expanding over time to cover both literal impacts and broader by-effects or infringements.

English usage: impinge is a transitive and intransitive verb that commonly appears with on or upon to indicate encroachment or influence: for example, “new development impinges on the old town’s boundaries.” It also retains a physical sense of striking or colliding, as in physics or engineering contexts: “the jet impinges on the surface.” In many contexts, impinge takes a metaphorical sense of affecting or limiting something, rather than a direct physical hit.

Impingement and related terms: the noun impingement is widely used in technical fields. In engineering and fluid dynamics, jet impingement describes a jet striking a surface. In medicine, shoulder impingement (impingement syndrome) refers to a pathological contact within the shoulder joint that limits movement and causes pain. These uses derive directly from the core sense of pressing upon or striking.

See also: impingement, encroachment, infringement.