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conatus

noun co·na·tus \ kōˈnātəs , -nät- \
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Definition of conatus

plural conatus
: a natural tendency, impulse, or striving : conation —used in Spinozism with reference to the inclination of a thing to persist in its own being

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Origin and Etymology of conatus

New Latin, from Latin, effort, from conatus, past participle of conari to attempt

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