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Added 8 October 2026

propel

/pɹəˈpɛl/ verb

In Latin: prōpellō Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about propel at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Cause to move forward with force.
Steam propels this ship
Give an incentive for action.
This moved me to sacrifice my career

Origin

From Middle English propellen (“drive out, expel”), from Latin propellō, from pro- (“forward”) and pellō (“to push, to move”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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