Hyperactivate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To excessively stimulate or increase the activity of a biological process or system beyond its normal level ; to trigger an intense and heightened state of function or responsiveness in an organ or cellular component ; to cause an exaggerated activation resulting in overstimulation of a mechanism or pathway
2. To induce an abnormally high level of activity or energy in a physiological or biochemical context ; to provoke an extreme enhancement of operational intensity in a body part or molecular mechanism ; to drive a system into a state of hyper responsiveness and increased functional output
3. To excessively energize or amplify the functioning of a biological entity or process beyond typical limits ; to elevate the activation state strongly in a tissue, enzyme, or cellular function ; to provoke an overactive condition through intensified stimulation or signaling effects

Etymology: "Hyperactivate" is a simple formation: the prefix "hyper-" joined to "activate." The prefix comes from Ancient Greek "hyper," meaning "over" or "beyond," which entered English as a combining form, so the word literally means to activate beyond the usual level. "Activate" itself is older and more layered. It descends from Latin "activus," meaning "active," which passed through Old French "actif" into Middle English, and was later extended by the Latin-derived suffix "-ate" to form a verb meaning to make active. Ancient Greek "energetikos" lies behind the Latin "activus" in the same family of ideas about doing and acting.

Synonyms: overstimulate, overactivate, overexcite, energize, excite

Antonyms: deactivate, inhibit, suppress, dampen, calm