Propel

How to spell propel

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce propel

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does propel mean?

1. verbTo drive or push something forward, often by a mechanical or physical force.

Propel in a sentence

• The engine uses jets of water to propel the boat across the lake.

• A strong tailwind can propel a cyclist along the flat road with little effort.

Where does propel come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This verb comes straight from the Latin propellere, meaning 'to drive or push forward', formed from the prefix pro- ('forward') and the verb pellere ('to drive, beat, or push'). English adopted it in the early 1400s, at first in the literal sense of forcing something onward by physical force, and the meaning soon broadened to cover anything that pushes a person or object ahead, whether a wind, an engine, or an ambition. The same pellere root drives a whole family of English words, including 'compel' (drive together), 'expel' (drive out), 'repel' (drive back) and 'dispel' (drive apart), which is a handy memory hook: the shared -pel ending is always about driving or pushing. Because that ending sits on so many cousins, the single L in propel is the main spelling point to watch, since the doubled form appears only when you add a vowel suffix, as in 'propelled' and 'propeller'.

How the word is built

• pro- (forward)
• -pel (from Latin pellere: to drive, push)