a·rouse  ( ə-rouz )
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tr.v. a·roused, a·rous·ing, a·rous·es 1. a. To cause (someone) to be active, attentive, or excited: The report aroused them to take action. The insult aroused him to anger. b. To stimulate sexual desire in. 2. To give rise to (a feeling, for example); stir up: The odd sight aroused our curiosity. See Synonyms at provoke. 3. To awaken (someone) from sleep.
[From ROUSE, on the model of such pairs as rise, arise.]
a·rousal n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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