momentum English · revision 10274

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1610|origins=la momentum}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˌmə(ʊ)ˈmɛntəm/ ''(UK)''; /ˌmoʊˈmɛntəm/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|mōmentum|t=movement, moving power]], from *movimentum, from movēre, to move;^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998) it is a doublet of [[moment]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Merriam-Webster dates the word to 1610;^(MWU 2024) the SOED's first sense, a turning motion, is early 17th century and long obsolete.^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The scientific sense in mechanics, the quantity of motion of a moving body, the product of its mass and velocity, is from 1699 (the 1690s).^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) The figurative sense, force gained by movement, an impelling force, is from 1782,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and in popular use the effect of inertia in keeping something moving from 1860.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1610 – first known use.^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1699 – quantity of motion (mechanics).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1782 – impetus (figurative).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1860 – continuance of motion (popular).^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(physics)'' The product of a body's mass and its velocity.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The force or [[impetus]] of a moving body.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The driving force of a process or course of events: ''the campaign gained momentum''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[angular momentum]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[moment]]

+ * [[move]]

+ * [[motion]]

+ * [[impetus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}