Centripetal force is a force that makes a body follow a curved path: it is always directed orthogonal to the velocity of the body, toward the instantaneous center of curvature of the path. The term centripetal force comes from the Latin words centrum (center) and petere (tend towards, aim at), signifying that the force is directed inward toward the center of curvature of the path. Isaac Newton's description was: A centripetal force is that by which bodies are drawn or impelled, or in any way tend, towards a point as to a center.