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excite - 6 dictionary results

ex⋅cite

  [ik-sahyt]
Use excite in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), -cit⋅ed, -cit⋅ing.
1. to arouse or stir up the emotions or feelings of: to excite a person to anger; actions that excited his father's wrath.
2. to arouse or stir up (emotions or feelings): to excite jealousy or hatred.
3. to cause; awaken: to excite interest or curiosity.
4. to stir to action; provoke or stir up: to excite a dog by baiting him.
5. Physiology. to stimulate: to excite a nerve.
6. Electricity. to supply with electricity for producing electric activity or a magnetic field: to excite a dynamo.
7. Physics. to raise (an atom, molecule, etc.) to an excited state.
Origin:
1300–50; ME < L excitāre, equiv. to ex- ex- 1 + citāre, freq. of ciēre to set in motion

Synonyms:
1. stir, awaken, stimulate, animate, kindle, inflame. 2. evoke. 4. disturb, agitate, ruffle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To excite
ex·cite   (ĭk-sīt')   
tr.v.   ex·cit·ed, ex·cit·ing, ex·cites
  1. To stir to activity.
  2. To call forth (a reaction or emotion, for example); elicit: odd noises that excited our curiosity.
  3. To arouse strong feeling in: speakers who know how to excite a crowd. See Synonyms at provoke.
  4. Physiology To produce increased activity or response in (an organ, tissue, or part); stimulate.
  5. Physics
    1. To increase the energy of.
    2. To raise (an atom, for example) to a higher energy level.

[Middle English exciten, from Latin excitāre, frequentative of exciēre : ex-, ex- + ciēre, to set in motion; see kei-2 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Excite

Ex*cite"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Excited; p. pr. & vb. n. exciting.] [L. excitare; ex out + citare to move rapidly, to rouse: cf. OF. esciter, exciter, F. exciter. See Cite.]

1. To call to activity in any way; to rouse to feeling; to kindle to passionate emotion; to stir up to combined or general activity; as, to excite a person, the spirits, the passions; to excite a mutiny or insurrection; to excite heat by friction.

2. (Physiol.) To call forth or increase the vital activity of an organism, or any of its parts.

Syn: To incite; awaken; animate; rouse or arouse; stimulate; inflame; irritate; provoke.

Usage: To Excite, Incite. When we excite we rouse into action feelings which were less strong; when we incite we spur on or urge forward to a specific act or end. Demosthenes excited the passions of the Athenians against Philip, and thus incited the whole nation to unite in the war against him. Antony, by his speech over the body of C[ae]sar, so excited the feelings of the populace, that Brutus and his companions were compelled to flee from Rome; many however, were incited to join their standard, not only by love of liberty, but hopes of plunder.

Excite

Ex*cite"\, v. t. (Elec.) To energize (an electro-magnet); to produce a magnetic field in; as, to excite a dynamo.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : excite
Spanish: emocionar,
German: aufregen,
Japanese: 興奮させる
More Translations »

excite 
c.1340, "to move, instigate," from L. excitare "rouse, produce," freq. of exciere "call forth, instigate," from ex- "out" + ciere "set in motion, call" (see cite). Main modern sense of "emotionally agitate" is first attested 1821; excited (1660) meant "magnetically or electrically stimulated" until modern sense appeared in 1855; exciting (1811) originally meant "causing disease," sense of "causing excitement" is 1826.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: ex·cite
Pronunciation: ik-'sIt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: ex·cit·ed; ex·cit·ing
1 : to increase the activity of (as a living organism) : STIMULATE
2 : to raise(as an atomic nucleus, an atom, or a molecule) to a higher energy level
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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