n. [ Cf. F. excitabilité. ] 1. The quality of being readily excited; proneness to be affected by exciting causes. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Physiol.) The property manifested by living organisms, and the elements and tissues of which they are constituted, of responding to the action of stimulants; irritability; as, nervous excitability. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. excitabilis inciting: cf. F. excitable. ] Capable of being excited, or roused into action; susceptible of excitement; easily stirred up, or stimulated. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. being easily excited.
Syn. -- excitability, volatility. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ L. excitans, -antis, p. pr. of excitare: cf. F. excitant. ] Tending to excite; exciting. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Physiol.) An agent or influence which arouses vital activity, or produces increased action, in a living organism or in any of its tissues or parts; a stimulant. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. excitatus, p. p. of excitare. See Excite. ] To excite. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>n. [ L. excitatio: cf. F. excitation. ] 1. The act of exciting or putting in motion; the act of rousing up or awakening. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Physiol.) The act of producing excitement (stimulation); also, the excitement produced. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. excitatif. ] Having power to excite; tending or serving to excite; excitatory. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., one who rouses. ] (Elec.) A kind of discarder. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. excitatoire. ] Tending to excite; containing excitement; excitative. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Excited; p. pr. & vb. n. exciting. ] [ L. excitare; ex out + citare to move rapidly, to rouse: cf. OF. esciter, exciter, F. exciter. See Cite. ] 1. To call to activity in any way; to rouse to feeling; to kindle to passionate emotion; to stir up to combined or general activity; as, to excite a person, the spirits, the passions; to excite a mutiny or insurrection; to excite heat by friction. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Physiol.) To call forth or increase the vital activity of an organism, or any of its parts.

3. (Elec.) To energize (an electro-magnet); to produce a magnetic field in; as, to excite a dynamo. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

4. (Physics) To raise to a higher energy level; -- used especially of atoms or molecules, or of electrons within atoms or molecules; as, absorption of a photon excites the cesium atom, which subsequently radiates the excess energy. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

Syn. -- To incite; awaken; animate; rouse or arouse; stimulate; inflame; irritate; provoke. -- To Excite, Incite. When we excite we rouse into action feelings which were less strong; when we incite we spur on or urge forward to a specific act or end. Demosthenes excited the passions of the Athenians against Philip, and thus incited the whole nation to unite in the war against him. Antony, by his speech over the body of Cæsar, so excited the feelings of the populace, that Brutus and his companions were compelled to flee from Rome; many however, were incited to join their standard, not only by love of liberty, but hopes of plunder. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Full of exciting qualities; as, an exciteful story; exciteful players. Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>n. [ Cf. OF. excitement, escitement. ] 1. The act of exciting, or the state of being roused into action, or of having increased action; impulsion; agitation; as, an excitement of the people. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which excites or rouses; that which moves, stirs, or induces action; a motive. [ 1913 Webster ]

The cares and excitements of a season of transition and struggle. Talfowrd. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Physiol.) A state of aroused or increased vital activity in an organism, or any of its organs or tissues. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, excites. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hope is the grand exciter of industry. Dr. H. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Calling or rousing into action; producing excitement; as, exciting events; an exciting story. -- Ex*cit"ing*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

Exciting causes (Med.), those which immediately produce disease, or those which excite the action of predisposing causes. [1913 Webster]

a. Serving or tending to excite; excitative. [ R. ] Bamfield. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. That which excites; an excitant. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Physiol.) Motion excited by reflex nerves. See Excito-motory. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Physiol.) Excito-motory; as, excito-motor power or causes. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Physiol.) Exciting motion; -- said of that portion of the nervous system concerned in reflex actions, by which impressions are transmitted to a nerve center and then reflected back so as to produce muscular contraction without sensation or volition. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Physiol.) Exciting nutrition; said of the reflex influence by which the nutritional processes are either excited or modified. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Physiol.) Exciting secretion; -- said of the influence exerted by reflex action on the function of secretion, by which the various glands are excited to action. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being inexcitable; insusceptibility to excitement. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. inexcitabilis from which one cannot be aroused. See In- not, and Excite. ] Not susceptible of excitement; dull; lifeless; torpid. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To excite too much. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Excessively excited. [ PJC ]

n. Excess of excitement; the state of being overexcited. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. (Elec.) To energize or excite (the field magnets of a dynamo) by induction from the residual magnetism of its cores, leading all or a part of the current thus produced through the field-magnet coils. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. Excessive, or more than normal, excitation. [ 1913 Webster ]