impello

impello ( inp- ), pŭli, pulsum, 3 (archaic inf. pres. pass. inpellier, Lucr. 6, 1060), v. a. [in-pello], to push, drive, or strike against a thing; to strike, reach.

I.

Lit.

A.

In gen. (mostly poet. ):

cavum conversa cuspide montem Impulit in latus,

Verg. A. 1, 82:

vocales impellere pollice chordas,

to strike, Tib. 2, 5, 3; cf. Ov. M. 10, 145:

aequora remis,

id. ib. 3, 657; cf.:

infidum remis marmor,

Verg. G. 1, 254:

impellunt animae lintea Thraciae,

swell, Hor. C. 4, 12, 2:

auras mugitibus,

Ov. M. 3, 21; cf.:

maternas aures Luctus,

Verg. G. 4, 349:

sensus,

Lucr. 1, 303:

colles canoris plausibus, Claud. Cons. Prob. et Olybr. 175: cui patuere Alpes saxa impellentia caelum,

Sil. 11, 217: cum fretum non impulit Ister, does not strike, i. e. does not empty into, Luc. 5, 437:

impulsum ab eo dextri pedis pollice,

Suet. Calig. 57:

subitus antennas impulit ignis,

Juv. 12, 19.—

B.

In partic., with the access. idea of motion, to drive forward, set in motion, urge on, impel (class.):

biremes subjectis scutulis impulsas vectibus in interiorem partem transduxit,

Caes. B. C. 3, 40, 4:

(navem) triplici versu (remorum),

Verg. A. 5, 119:

puppim remis velisque,

Sil. 1, 568:

ratem (levis aura),

Ov. M. 15, 697:

currum,

Val. Fl. 6, 6:

equum calce,

Sil. 7, 697; cf.:

cornipedem planta,

id. 2, 71:

Zephyris primum impellentibus undas,

Verg. G. 4, 305:

fluctus (ventus),

Petr. 114:

aequor velis,

Tac. A. 2, 23:

praemissus eques postremos ac latera impulit,

id. ib. 2, 17: utque impulit arma, i. e. brandished, flourished, Verg. A. 8, 3:

remos,

id. ib. 4, 594:

sagittam nervo,

to shoot, discharge, Ov. M. 11, 325:

semen vehementius urinam impellit,

drives down, promotes the discharge of, Plin. 24, 19, 118, § 180:

praecipitantem igitur impellamus et perditum prosternamus,

give a push to, Cic. Clu. 26, 70; Tac. A. 4, 22:

procumbunt orni, nodosa impellitur ilex,

is overthrown, thrown down, Luc. 3, 440:

impulit aciem,

forced to give way, broke, Liv. 9, 40, 9; cf.:

hostem primo impetu impulit,

id. 9, 27, 9:

impulsis hostibus castra cepit,

Vell. 2, 70, 1:

impulit Vitellianos modica caede,

Tac. H. 3, 16:

quem (hostem) si inpellere maturasset,

id. ib. 4, 34;

78 al.— Designating the limit: in fugam atque in latebras impellere,

Cic. Rab. Perd. 8, 22:

se in vulnus,

Vell. 2, 70 fin.:

inque meos ferrum flammasque Penates Impulit,

Ov. M. 12, 552:

ferrum capulo tenus,

Sil. 9, 382:

(Aufidus) in aequora fluctus,

id. 7, 482; 14, 429:

jamque diem ad metas defessis Phoebus Olympo Impellebat equis,

id. 11, 270.

II.

Trop.

A.

To move to a thing; to impel, incite, urge; esp., to instigate, stimulate, persuade (the predom. signif. in good prose); constr. usu. with aliquem in or ad aliquid and ut; less freq. with a terminal adverb, the inf., the simple acc., or absol.

(α).

Aliquem in aliquid:

nisi eum di immortales in eam mentem impulissent, ut, etc.,

Cic. Mil. 33, 89:

hic in fraudem homines impulit,

id. Pis. 1, 1; id. Lael. 24, 89; and:

in fraudem impulsus,

id. Deiot. 12, 32:

in sermonem,

id. de Or. 2, 89, 363:

in plurimas animum audientium species impellere,

Quint. 12, 10, 43.—

(β).

Aliquem ad aliquid (so most freq.):

ad quam quemque artem putabat esse aptum, ad eam impellere atque hortari solebat,

Cic. de Or. 1, 28, 126:

ad veterum annalium memoriam comprehendendam impulsi atque incensi,

id. Brut. 5, 19:

facile ad credendum,

id. Rep. 2, 10:

aliquos ad omne facinus,

id. ib. 6, 1:

ad maleficium,

Auct. Her. 2, 21, 34:

ad injuriam faciendam,

Cic. Fl. 34, 85:

ad scelus,

id. Rosc. Am. 14, 39:

ad bellum,

id. Sull. 13, 36:

ad crudelitatem,

Quint. 8, 3, 85:

ad metum, cupiditatem, odium, conciliationem,

id. 3, 8, 12 et saep.—

(γ).

With ut:

quae causa nos impulerit, ut haec tam sero litteris mandaremus,

Cic. N. D. 1, 4, 7; cf. id. de Sen. 21, 77:

Germanos tam facile impelli, ut in Galliam venirent,

Caes. B. G. 4, 16, 1; Cic. N. D. 2, 66, 166; id. Rep. 3, 2; id. Fin. 3, 20, 65; Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 51 et saep.—

(δ).

With a terminal adv.:

dum in dubio est animus, paulo momento huc illuc impellitur,

Ter. And. 1, 5, 31:

impulit huc animos,

Luc. 8, 454:

voluntates impellere quo velit,

Cic. de Or. 1, 8, 30.—

(ε).

With inf.:

fuerunt quos pavor nando capessere fugam impulerit,

Liv. 22, 6, 7:

quae mens tam dira Impulit his cingi telis?

Verg. A. 2, 520; Tac. A. 6, 45; 13, 10:

quendam impulit servilem ei amorem obicere,

id. ib. 14, 60; Hor. C. 3, 7, 14; Stat. Th. 10, 737; Just. 3, 1, 3; 5, 1, 4; 29, 4, 5.—

(ζ).

With the simple acc.:

ut forte legentem Aut tacitum impellat quovis sermone,

to arouse, address, Hor. S. 1, 3, 65; Val. Fl. 4, 486:

cum praetor lictorem impellat,

Juv. 3, 128:

quis modo casus impulit hos,

id. 15, 120:

vernacula multitudo, lasciviae sueta, impellere ceterorum rudes animos,

to instigate, stimulate, Tac. A. 1, 31 Ritter. (Nipperd. implere).—In pass.:

(ut) qui audiunt aut impellantur aut reflectantur,

Cic. de Or. 2, 77, 312:

Bellovacos impulsos ab suis principibus ab Aeduis defecisse,

Caes. B. G. 2, 14, 3:

vel iratum vel impulsum ab aliis,

Quint. 11, 1, 71:

hac fama impulsus Chremes ultro ad me venit,

Ter. And. 1, 1, 72:

impulsus irā... Quibus iris impulsus,

id. Hec. 3, 5, 35:

furore atque amentia impulsus,

Caes. B. G. 1, 40, 4:

hac impulsi occasione,

id. ib. 7, 1, 3:

Induciomari nuntiis impulsi,

id. ib. 5, 26, 2:

Cassandrae impulsus furiis,

Verg. A. 10, 68 et saep.:

quia et initio movendus sit judex et summo impellendus,

Quint. 7, 1, 10:

cum simul terra, simul mari bellum impelleretur,

Tac. Agr. 25; cf.:

impulsum bellum,

Luc. 7, 5; 7, 330.—

(η).

Absol.: cui (daimoniôi) sempel ipse paruerit, numquam impellenti, saepe revocanti, Cic. Div. 1, 54, 122:

qui nullo impellente fallebant,

id. Fl. 8, 20:

uno ictu frequenter impellunt (sententiae),

Quint. 12, 10, 48.—

B.

To overthrow, subdue, destroy (rare): praecipitantem igitur impellamus, et perditum prosternamus, Cic. Clu. 26, 70:

miseri post fata Sychaei... Solus hic (Aeneas) inflexit sensus animumque labantem Impulit,

i. e. has completely subdued, Verg. A. 4, 23:

impellere ruentem,

to destroy completely, Tac. H. 2, 63 fin.:

inpulsas Vitellii res audietis,

id. ib. 3, 2:

inmenso Achaicae victoriae momento ad impellendos mores,

Plin. 33, 11, 53, § 149:

impulsum bellum,

i. e. brought near to a close, Luc. 5, 330:

impellens quidquid sibi, summa petenti, obstaret,

id. 1, 149:

tum leviter est temptatum,... et nunc maximo temporum nostrorum auctore prope inpulsum,

Quint. 3, 4, 2 Spald. N. cr.