impactus

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /imˈpaːk.tus/, [ɪmˈpäːkt̪ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /imˈpak.tus/, [imˈpäkt̪us]

Etymology 1

From impingō (“I strike against”) +‎ -tus (abstract noun suffix).

Noun

impāctus m (genitive impāctūs); fourth declension (New Latin)

1. illision, collision, hit
   • 1752, Karl Scherffer, Institutionum physicae pars prima seu physica generalis, conscripta in usum suorum d.d. auditorum 213:

     Triplicis generis corpora discernere oportet, nempe perfectē dūra, quae nūllō impāctū figūram mūtant; perfectē elastica, quae ictū figūram mūtant, attamen eandem statim iterum assūmunt, velut sponte; perfectē mollia, quae figūram ictū mūtant, sed nōn amplius resūmunt ex propriā aliquā vī.[1]

   • 1761, Andreas Jaszlinszky, Institutiones physicae: pars prima seu physica generalis in usum discipulorum concinnata 202:

     Lapidēs et quaedam rigida metalla impāctū vehementī alicujus corporis dūrī in partēs dissiliunt, vitrum in illās ad levem quoque contāctum diffringitur.[2]

2. impact, effect

Declension

Fourth-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	impāctus	impāctūs
Genitive	impāctūs	impāctuum
Dative	impāctuī	impāctibus
Accusative	impāctum	impāctūs
Ablative	impāctū	impāctibus
Vocative	impāctus	impāctūs

Descendants

• → Catalan: impacte
• → English: impact
• → French: impact
• → Galician: impacto
• → German: Impakt
• → Italian: impatto
• → Portuguese: impacto
• Sicilian: mpattu
• → Spanish: impacto

References

R. E. Latham, D. R. Howlett, & R. K. Ashdowne, editors (1975–2013), “impactus”, in Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources‎^[3], London: Oxford University Press for the British Academy, →ISBN, →OCLC

Etymology 2

Perfect passive participle of impingō.

Participle

impāctus (feminine impācta, neuter impāctum); first/second-declension participle

1. having been thrust
2. having been forced, pressed upon
3. having been pushed, dashed against

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	impāctus	impācta	impāctum		impāctī	impāctae	impācta
Genitive	impāctī	impāctae	impāctī		impāctōrum	impāctārum	impāctōrum
Dative	impāctō		impāctō		impāctīs
Accusative	impāctum	impāctam	impāctum		impāctōs	impāctās	impācta
Ablative	impāctō	impāctā	impāctō		impāctīs
Vocative	impācte	impācta	impāctum		impāctī	impāctae	impācta

References

• “impactus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “impactus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• impactus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.