excitation

noun

ex·​ci·​ta·​tion ˌek-ˌsī-ˈtā-shən  ˌek-sə- 

: excitement

especially : the disturbed or altered condition resulting from stimulation of an individual, organ, tissue, or cell

Examples of excitation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Among those present for the excitation were Moore's lawyer of 10 years, Lindsey Vann, members of the victim's family and Solicitor Barry Barnette, who was on the prosecution team. —Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024

Allen Institute From their findings, the researchers hypothesize that the loss of these cells may trigger a domino effect that upsets the delicate balance between inhibition and excitation, promoting widespread system failures that result in neuronal loss and cognitive decline. —New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2024

Boom Supersonic Boom tested its flutter excitation system (FES) at Mach 0.6 ... which must be unnerving for a test pilot. —New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2024

Their experiments involved shooting photons through a cloud of ultracold rubidium atoms and measuring the resulting degree of atomic excitation. —Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

excitation

noun

ex·​ci·​ta·​tion ˌek-ˌsī-ˈtā-shən 

ˌek-sə-

: excitement sense 1

especially : the activity or change in condition resulting from stimulation of an individual, organ, tissue, or cell

Medical Definition

excitation

noun

ex·​ci·​ta·​tion ˌek-ˌsī-ˈtā-shən  ˌek-sə- 

: excitement: as

a

: the disturbed or altered condition resulting from arousal of activity (as by neural or electrical stimulation) in an individual organ or tissue

b

: the arousing of such activity