stimulant

[ stim-yuh-luhnt ]
See synonyms for stimulant on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Physiology, Medicine/Medical. something that temporarily quickens some vital process or the functional activity of some organ or part: Adrenalin is a stimulant for the heart.: Compare depressant (def. 4).

  2. any food or beverage that stimulates, especially coffee, tea, or, in its initial effect, alcoholic liquor.

  1. a stimulus or incentive.

adjective
  1. Physiology, Medicine/Medical. temporarily quickening some vital process or functional activity.

Origin of stimulant

1
First recorded in 1720–30, stimulant is from the Latin word stimulant- (stem of stimulāns, present participle of stimulāre to goad). See stimulus, -ant

Other words from stimulant

  • an·ti·stim·u·lant, adjective, noun
  • non·stim·u·lant, noun, adjective

Words Nearby stimulant

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How to use stimulant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stimulant

stimulant

/ (ˈstɪmjʊlənt) /


noun
  1. a drug or similar substance that increases physiological activity, esp of a particular organ

  2. any stimulating agent or thing

adjective
  1. increasing physiological activity; stimulating

Origin of stimulant

1
C18: from Latin stimulāns goading, from stimulāre to urge on; see stimulus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for stimulant

stimulant

[ stĭmyə-lənt ]


  1. An agent, especially a drug, that causes increased activity, especially of the nervous or cardiovascular systems. Caffeine is a commonly used stimulant.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.