Third person singular present tense of exert; puts forth effort, strength, or influence.
From Latin exertus, past participle of exerere (to thrust out, drive out), from ex- (out) + serere (to put, place). Exert entered English in the 16th century.
The phrase 'gravitational pull exerts force' uses 'exerts' beautifully—it gives active agency to invisible forces, showing how verbs let us talk about natural phenomena as if they were agents.
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