Excitacioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of stirring up, arousing, or provoking a feeling, passion, or action in someone
2. Archaic term for the process of rousing or inciting emotion or activity in a person or group
3. Stirring or prompting of a feeling, desire, or deed, as in the older English usage of the term

Etymology: Its root is a verb meaning to summon. Latin "excitare" combined "ex-" with "citare", "to set in motion or call forth", the same stem behind English "cite", which once meant summoning someone to appear. At its core, the idea is calling something out into view or into action. This spelling, with its "-oun" ending, is Middle English. It was borrowed through Old French "excitacion" from the Latin "excitationem", the accusative form of "excitatio". The earliest sense was the act of stirring something up or rousing it, and the meaning later widened to cover the arousal of feelings and the stimulation of bodily functions.

Synonyms: excitement, stimulation, arousal