Emily Dickinson Lexicon

COM-PUL'SION, n. [Low L. compulsio. See Compel.]

1. The act of driving or urging by force, physical or moral; force applied; constraint of the will; the application of a force that is irresistible. If reasons were as plenty as blackberries, I would give no man a reason on compulsion. – Shak. A man is excused for acts done through unavoidable force and compulsion. – Blackstone.
2. The state of being compelled or urged by violence.