nisus

American  

[nahy-suhs] / ˈnaɪ səs /

noun

nisus plural

1. an effort or striving toward a particular goal or attainment; impulse.

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nisus British  

/ ˈnaɪsəs /

noun

1. an impulse towards or striving after a goal

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• nisus
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nisus

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin nīsus “planting one’s feet firmly, strong muscular effort,” equivalent to nīt(ī) “to support or exert oneself” + -sus, variant of -tus suffix denoting the action of the verb

Example Sentences

In God it is infinite, eternal, uncreated power; and every nisus in his will is really creative or modifying, according to its self-directed aim.

From A Review of Edwards's by Tappan, Henry Philip

The "epigenesists" held that both the germ and its subsequent organs were built up of juxtaposed molecules according to the operation of a developmental force, or "nisus formations."

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 15 — Science by Hammerton, John Alexander, Sir

Really, volition is the nisus or effort of that cause which we call will.

From A Review of Edwards's by Tappan, Henry Philip

To deny such a nisus would be to deny the activity, efficiency, and energy of cause.

From A Review of Edwards's by Tappan, Henry Philip

This nisus naturae is never absent; it is observable even where, as in the generation of “monsters” by living organisms, it partially fails to attain its end.

From Ontology or the Theory of Being by Coffey, Peter