Stimulated

How to spell stimulated

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce stimulated

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does stimulated mean?

1. verbRoused something or someone into greater activity, interest, or growth.
2. adjectiveFeeling energised, excited, or mentally engaged.

Stimulated in a sentence

• verb

  The lively seminar stimulated a long discussion among the staff.

• adjective

  She felt intellectually stimulated by the challenging new project.

• verb

  The tax cut stimulated spending across the whole region.

• adjective

  The children were thoroughly stimulated by the museum tour.

Where does stimulated come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb stimulare, meaning 'to goad, prick, or urge on', which was itself built on the noun stimulus, the literal name for a pointed stick or goad used to drive cattle forward. By extension, Romans used stimulus for anything that spurred a person into action, much as a goad spurred an animal. English adopted the verb 'stimulate' in the late 1500s, carrying over both the physical idea of prodding and the figurative idea of rousing the mind or body to activity. The everyday noun 'stimulus' and its plural 'stimuli' come from exactly the same source, which is a useful reminder that the spelling keeps that 'stimul-' core intact before the -ate ending. The chief spelling trap is the unstressed middle vowel, since the 'u' is barely heard yet must be written, and the single 'm' and single 'l' resist any temptation to double them.

How the word is built

• stimul- (from Latin stimulus: a goad or prod)
• -ate (verb-forming suffix)
• -ed (past tense/participle)