Crossword Genius

Short time with hesitation giving impetus (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

momentum

'impetus' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'short time with hesitation' is the wordplay.
'short time' becomes 'moment' (moment is a kind of short time).
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'hesitation' becomes 'um' (um is said in hesitation).
'moment'+'um'='MOMENTUM'

'giving' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for momentum that I've seen before include "Forward impetus" , "Driving force, impetus" , "Drive" , "Impetus from motion" , "Impulse" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.