conatus
[koh-ney-tuh s]
noun, plural co·na·tus.
an effort or striving.
a force or tendency simulating a human effort.
(in the philosophy of Spinoza) the force in every animate creature toward the preservation of its existence.
Origin of conatus
1655–65; < Latin: exertion, equivalent to cōnā(rī) to attempt + -tus suffix of v. action
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for conatus
Historical Examples of conatus
Conatus est omne divortium inter regiam majestatem et reginam dissuadere.
History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, Volume VJ. H. Merle d'Aubigné
Strange that this great length of time should not have produced even one new organ, or the marks of a conatus to produce one.
The Religion of Geology and Its Connected SciencesEdward Hitchcock
conatus
noun plural -tus
Word Origin for conatus
C17: from Latin: effort, from cōnārī to try
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