impingement
UK[ɪmˈpɪndʒmənt]US[ɪmˈpɪndʒmənt]
n
The act of impinging, or the state of being impinged upon; a collision or striking against something.
n
(Medicine) The process of a structure, especially soft tissue, being compressed or trapped between bones, typically in a joint.
Morpheme Breakdown
impinge
ment
impinge
ment
Etymology
The word 'impingement' is built upon the verb 'impinge', which entered English in the 16th century from the Latin impingere, meaning 'to drive into, strike against'. This Latin verb itself is a compound of the prefix in- (meaning 'into, upon') and pangere (meaning 'to fix, drive in'). The core concept of forceful contact or collision is preserved from its Latin roots. The suffix '-ment', also of Latin origin, transforms the action into a noun denoting the process or result. Thus, the literal 'process of driving into' evolved into the modern abstract meanings of collision or, in medical contexts, the pathological compression of tissue.
Analysis
Structure: impinge + ment
- impinge: A verb of Latin origin (from Latin impingere, 'to drive into, dash against').
- ment: A noun-forming suffix of Latin origin (from Latin -mentum), indicating the action, process, or result of a verb.
Examples
The constant impingement of noise from the construction site made concentration difficult.
Shoulder pain is often caused by the impingement of the rotator cuff tendons.
The new policy was seen as an impingement on individual freedoms.