Electrize

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪˈlɛktɹaɪz/

Definitions

1. To charge an object with an electric current ; to cause intense excitement or thrill in someone
2. To impart electrical energy to a surface or body ; to stir strong emotional or enthusiastic reactions
3. To apply electricity so as to make electrically charged ; to excite or overwhelm with enthusiasm or energy

Etymology: "Electrize" came into English by way of French "électriser," a verb formed from "électrique," the adjective that gave English "electric." That adjective traces back to the Latin "electrum," meaning amber, the yellowish fossil resin that was known in antiquity for a curious property: when rubbed with cloth, it attracted light objects such as straw and feathers. The Greek "ēlektron," the same word as "electrum," gave the English word its scientific root, so the modern sense of electricity grows from a lump of tree resin. The verb carries that original sense forward. To electrize something is to charge it with power, filling it with the energy that the amber's rubbing once revealed. The word keeps the same logic as "electric," moving from the substance that first showed the effect to the force itself and then to the act of supplying that force.

Synonyms: energize, excite, stimulate, charge, thrill

Antonyms: calm, de-energize, dull, weaken, bore