Something comes toward you, and it leaves the way it came. An attacking line pushes at your gate and is thrown back. A hand reaches out to you and you push it away. A smell hits you and your whole body leans back. One motion, three situations: whatever arrives does not get in.
repulse 可以想成一個「推回去」的動作。有東西朝你過來，最後又被送回原處。可能是攻上來的一隊人，被擋在門外；可能是伸過來的一隻手，被你冷冷推開；也可能是一股味道撲上來，你整個人往後退。三種場面裡，方向都一樣：來的東西，沒有進來。
From the word’s history
Wiktionary records repulse as Middle English repulsen, a learned borrowing from Latin repulsus, from repello - the same Latin verb behind repel. The single idea of driving something back runs through both words.
Wiktionary 記載 repulse 來自中古英語 repulsen，是從拉丁文 repulsus 借來的，而 repulsus 出自動詞 repellō——也就是 repel 的同一個源頭。兩個字共用「把東西趕回去」這條線，所以今天的攻防、拒絕、噁心三種用法才會落在同一個畫面上。
Wiktionary, "repulse" (etymology 1)
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