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) : stimulate
4 : 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