[ex.cite] vt ex.cit.ed ; ex.cit.ing [ME, fr. MF exciter, fr. L excitare, fr. ex- + citare to rouse--more at cite] (14c) 1 a: to call to activity b: to rouse to an emotional response "scenes to ~ the hardest man to pity" c: to arouse (as a strong emotional response) by appropriate stimuli "~ enthusiasm for the new regime --Arthur Knight"
2. a: energize "~ an electromagnet" b: to produce a magnetic field in "~ 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 syn see provoke -- ex.cit.ed.ly adv