Propulsion

How to spell propulsion

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce propulsion

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does propulsion mean?

1. nounThe force or means by which something is driven forward, especially a vehicle, ship or aircraft.

Propulsion in a sentence

• The new ferry uses electric propulsion to cut fuel costs.

• Engineers tested the rocket's propulsion system before the launch.

Where does propulsion come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Propulsion comes from the Latin verb propellere, meaning 'to drive forward', which combined pro- 'forward' with pellere 'to drive, push or strike'. The past participle of pellere was pulsus, and from that Latin built the noun form that gave us the 'puls' core seen here. The word reached English in the early 1600s, at first describing the act of driving something onward by force, and it later became the standard technical term for the force that moves vehicles, ships, rockets and aircraft. The same pellere root drives a surprising family of relatives, including 'expel' (drive out), 'compel' (drive together) and 'pulse' (a driving beat). Remembering that 'puls' is the same element as in 'pulse' helps fix the spelling, since the trap is wanting to write 'propultion' or to double the letters.

How the word is built

• pro- (forward)
• puls (from Latin pellere: to drive, push)
• -ion (noun of action)