Meaning

noun an urge to do or say something that might be better left undone or unsaid

noun an irrational motive for performing trivial or repetitive actions, even against your will

noun using force to cause something to occur

originBorrowed from Middle French compulsion, from Late Latin compulsiō, from Latin compellere (“to compel, coerce”); see compel.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0