Amped

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /æmpt/

Definitions

1. Marked by an elevated level of excitement or energy
2. Feeling highly stimulated or enthusiastic ; supplied with increased electrical power through an amplifier
3. Experiencing a surge of excitement or adrenaline ; boosted in strength or volume by electronic equipment

Etymology: "Amped" is a clipped form of "amplified," with the middle and final syllables dropped so that it sounds like a quick, punchy adjective. The source of that clipping is the verb "amplify," which came into English from Latin "amplificare," meaning to enlarge or extend. The sense of making something louder or stronger carried over into the figurative idea of pumping someone up, and "amped" took on that charged, energized meaning. Its shape also tells you how it was made. The past-tense ending of "amplified" was cut away, leaving a short stem with the same sound as "damp" or "camp." That kind of trimming is common in informal American speech, where words like "rad" and "sec" were produced the same way.

Synonyms: excited, energized, enthusiastic, charged, pumped

Antonyms: bored, unenthusiastic, disinterested, apathetic, calm