repulse
nounEtymology Inherited from Middle English repulse, borrowed from Old French repulse, from Latin repulsa (petītiō), from repellō.
1
The act of repulsing or the state of being repulsed.
2
Refusal, rejection or repulsion.
repulse
verbCA, US, UK, SC /ɹɪˈpʌls/ · AU /ɹɪˈpɐls/
Etymology Inherited from Middle English repulsen, a learned borrowing from Latin repulsus, from repellō. For spelling, as in pulse, the -e (on -lse) is so the end is pronounced /ls/, rather than /lz/ as in pulls, and does not change the vowel (‘u’). Compare else, false, convulse.
1
To repel or drive back.
- to repulse an assault; to repulse the enemy
- If we fail to repulse the enemy within the gates--unemployment, poverty, disorganized agriculture and the like--from whence may we expect the united strength and clear purpose to repulse any outside force?1939 December 5, J. W. Studebaker, Democracy Shall Not Be Plowed Under, page 9:
2
To reject or rebuff.
- to repulse a suitor
- At the end of a week, she could bear the suspense no longer, and so went humbly to her old home and sought forgiveness. She was not repulsed, but her reception was cold; and this hurt her almost as badly.1850, T. S. Arthur, “Happy on a Little”, in Sketches of Life and Character, Philadelphia: J. W. Bradley, →OCLC, page 89:
3
To cause revulsion in; to repel.
- The smell of rotting food repulsed me.
- I find your conduct reprehensible, disgusting, and it repulses me, the way a mongoose repulses a snake.
- Derived terms
- chemorepulse, repulser, repulsor
- Related terms
- repulsor beam, repulsor ray