[stim.u.late] vb -lat.ed ; -lat.ing [L stimulatus, pp. of stimulare, fr. stimulus goad; perh. akin to L stilus stem, stylus--more at style] vt (1619) 1: to excite to activity or growth or to greater activity: animate, arouse
2. a: to function as a physiological stimulus to b: to arouse or affect by a stimulant (as a drug) ~ vi: to act as a stimulant or stimulus syn see provoke -- stim.u.la.tion n -- stim.u.la.tive adj -- stim.u.la.tor n -- stim.u.la.to.ry adj