impulse
n 1: an instinctive motive; "profound religious impulses" [syn: {urge}]
2: a sudden desire; "he bought it on impulse" [syn: {caprice},
{vagary}, {whim}]
3: the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber;
"they demonstrated the transmission of impulses from the
cortex to the hypothalamus" [syn: {nerve impulse}]
4: (electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal
electrical state (or a series of such transients); "the
pulsations seemed to be coming from a star" [syn: {pulsation},
{pulsing}, {pulse}]
5: the act of applying force suddenly; "the impulse knocked him
over" [syn: {impulsion}, {impetus}]
6: an impelling force or strength; "the car's momentum carried
it off the road" [syn: {momentum}]