/ ˈæktʃueɪt; NAmE / verb [ vn ] ( formal )
1.
to make a machine or device start to work
SYN activate
2.
[ usually passive ] to make sb behave in a particular way
SYN motivate :
He was actuated entirely by malice.
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent.: from medieval Latin actuat- carried out, caused to operate, from the verb actuare , from Latin actus event, thing done, act- done, from the verb agere , reinforced by the French noun acte . The original sense was carry out in practice , later stir into activity, enliven ; sense 1 dates from the mid 17th cent.