Activate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈæktɪˌveɪt/

Definitions

1. To cause something to start functioning or become active; to cause an action or response to begin; to encourage a process, often biological or chemical, to start occurring
2. To set a device or system in motion; to initiate a reaction or series of events; to induce activity in living organisms or chemical substances
3. To turn on or enable a mechanism or system; to provoke a specific response or activation; to promote or accelerate physiological or chemical functions

Etymology: "Activate" is a plain English formation: the adjective "active" with the verbal suffix "-ate" added to it. The adjective itself has a longer ancestry. It descends from Latin "āctīvus," meaning "relating to action" or "effective," which in turn came from "āctus," the past participle of "agere," "to drive, do, set in motion." Through Old French "actif," it reached Middle English as "actyf" and became the modern "active." The suffix "-ate," borrowed from Latin "-ātus," turns adjectives and nouns into verbs, as in "separate," "calculate," or "moderate." Attaching it to "active" produced a verb meaning to make something active. The result is a word that feels technical, yet it is built from ordinary parts: one Latin root meaning "to do," shaped into an adjective, then given a verb ending.

Synonyms: initiate, trigger

Antonyms: deactivate, disable