arousal

noun

arous·al | \ə-ˈrau̇-zəl

plural arousals

Definition of arousal

1 : the act of arousing someone or something arousal from sleep This belated arousal of the hunting instinct seemed to make almost another man of him.— Jack London : the state of being aroused His work with animals had implicated adrenaline and noradrenaline in emotional arousal and memory.— Daniel Goleman

2 : a state of physiological and psychological excitation caused by sexual contact or other erotic stimulation Studies show 60% of patients taking the drugs experience some form of sexual dysfunction, ranging from loss of desire to problems with arousal and an inability to reach orgasm.— Tara Parker-Pope

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The first known use of arousal was in 1842

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arousal

noun

arous·al | \ə-ˈrau̇-zəl

Medical Definition of arousal

1a : the act of arousing arousal from sleep

b : the state of being aroused specifically : responsiveness to stimuli … cells of the locus coeruleus, a brain center involved in maintaining attention and arousal … — Science, 20 June 1986

2 : a state of physiological and psychological excitation caused by sexual contact or other erotic stimulation Studies show 60% of patients taking the drugs experience some form of sexual dysfunction, ranging from loss of desire to problems with arousal …— Tara Parker-Pope, The Wall Street Journal, 16 Mar. 2001