Both Uses
impetuous
in
Dante's Inferno -- translated by Longfellow
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- And now there came across the turbid waves
The clangour of a sound with terror fraught,
Because of which both of the margins trembled;
Not otherwise it was than of a wind
Impetuous on account of adverse heats,
That smites the forest, and, without restraint,
The branches rends, beats down, and bears away;
Right onward, laden with dust, it goes superb,
And puts to flight the wild beasts and the shepherds.†Canto 1.1-11 *impetuous = impulsive (acting suddenly without much thought) - What thou demandest I cannot deny;
So low am I put down because I robbed
The sacristy of the fair ornaments,
And falsely once 'twas laid upon another;
But that thou mayst not such a sight enjoy,
If thou shalt e'er be out of the dark places,
Thine ears to my announcement ope and hear:
Pistoia first of Neri groweth meagre;
Then Florence doth renew her men and manners;
Mars draws a vapour up from Val di Magra,
Which is with turbid clouds enveloped round,
And with impetuous and bitter tempest
Over Campo Picen shall be the battle;
When it shall suddenly rend the mist asunder,
So that each Bianco shall thereby be smitten.†Canto 1.23-34
Definitions:
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(1)
(impetuous as in: an impetuous decision) impulsive (acting suddenly without much thought) -- often with an unfortunate consequence
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(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) In historic literature, impetuous often refers to any rapid, forceful, and/or violent movement.