Main Entry:

ex·cite

Pronunciation:

\ik-ˈsīt, ek-\

Function:

transitive verb

Inflected Form(s):

ex·cit·ed; ex·cit·ing

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French exciter, from Latin excitare, from ex- + citare to rouse — more at cite

Date:

14th century

1 a: to call to activity b: to rouse to an emotional response <scenes to excite the hardest man to pity> c: to arouse (as a strong emotional response) by appropriate stimuli <excite enthusiasm for the new regime — Arthur Knight>2 a: energize <excite an electromagnet> b: to produce a magnetic field in <excite a dynamo>3: to increase the activity of (as a living organism) : stimulate4: to raise (as an atomic nucleus, an atom, or a molecule) to a higher energy level

synonyms see provoke

— ex·cit·ed·ly \-ˈsī-təd-lē\ adverb