Exciters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Devices or substances that stimulate a response or reaction in a system or organism
2. elements that provoke interest or enthusiasm in a particular context
3. agents that induce or heighten emotional or sensory experiences in individuals

Etymology: The plural "exciters" is simply the plural of "exciter," which is built from the verb "excite" plus the agent suffix "-er," the same ending found in "writer" or "baker." The suffix descends from Old English "-ere," and it reached English through a long chain: Latin "-arius," which passed into Old French as "-ier," then into Middle English as "-er." Its job is to turn a verb into a word for the thing or person doing the action, so an exciter is one that excites. Because "excite" itself came into English from Latin "excitare," meaning "to call forth" or "to rouse," the word carries that original sense of summoning something into motion. Stirring feelings is the figurative extension of that physical sense of rousing or calling out.

Synonyms: stimulators, activators