2056 
His affections were most quick and excitable by their 
due objects. Barrow, Works, I. 575. 
= Svn. Passionate, choleric, hasty, hot. 
excitant (ek-si'tant), a. and . [< L. excitan(t-)s, 
ppr. of excitare, excite : see excite.] I. a. Tend- 
ing to excite ; exciting. 
The donation of heavenly graces, preveuient, subse- 
quent, excitant, adjuvant. 
Bp. Nicholson, Expos, of Catechism, p. 80. 
II. . That which excites or rouses to action 
or increased action; specifically, in tlierap 
excise 
An excise "is based on no rule of apportionment or 
equality whatever," but is a fixed, absolute, and direct 
charge laid on merchandise, products, or commodities, 
without any regard to the amount of property belonging 
to those on whom it may fall, or to any supposed relation 
between money expended for a public object and a special 
benefit occasioned to those by whom the charge is paid. 
Blackmail, On Tax Titles (4th ed.), 1, n. 1. 
2. That branch or department of the civil ser- 
vice which is connected with the levying of such 
duties. In the United States this office is call- 
ed the Office of Internal Revenue Act of the He- 
reditary Excise, an English statute of 1660 (12 Car. II., c. 
24) establishing duties on beer and other beverages, and 
settling them upon the crown in lieu of the profits of the 
courts of wards and liveries and of purveyance and pre- 
emption then abolished. A similar grant for the king s 
life only was termed the temporary excuse (12 Car. II., c. 23). 
Commissioners of excise. See eommitiumer. =Syn. 
1. Duty, Impost, etc. See tax, n. 
II. a. Of or pertaining to the excise : as, ex- 
cise acts ; excise commissioners. 
The genius of the people will illy brook the inquisitive eXCitatet (ek ' si -tat), V. 
and peremptory spirit of excise laws. 
A. Hamilton, Federalist, No. xii. 
excise 2 (ek-siz'), *. t. ; pret. and pp. excised, 
ppr. excising. [< excise 2 , .] 1. To lay or im- 
pose a duty on ; levy an excise on. 
No Statesman e'er will find it worth his pains 
To tax our labours, and excifte our brains. 
Churchill, To Robert Lloyd. 
It was certain that, should she [the queen] command 
never so little a fee, the people would say straight that 
their drink was "excised," as it was in Flanders, and would 
be more excised hereafter, and so the people and the brew- 
ers would both I'epine at it. - . . 
Stow, quoted in S. Dowell's Taxes in England, IV. 118. = Sp. excitacion = Pg. exntacao 
2. To impose upon; overcharge. Halliwell. zione, < LL. excitatio(n-), < L. exci 
[Prov. Eng.] 
excised (ek-sizd'), p. a. [Pp. of excise 1 , v.] 
iched 
Wolle. 
exclaim 
The degree to which a gland is excited can be measured 
only by the number of the surrounding tentacles which are 
Inflected and by the amount and rate of their movement. 
Dariein, Insectiv. Plants, p. 233. 
3. To impel by incentives or motives; insti- 
gate ; incite : as, to excite the people to revolt. 
Beaten for loyalty 
Excited me to treason. Shak., Cymbeline, v. 5. 
The remarkable smoothness of that Language [Malay), 
I confess, might excite some people to learn it out of curi- 
osity : but the Tonquinese are not so curious. 
Dampier, Voyages, II. i. 59. 
4. To arouse the emotions of ; agitate or per- 
a ' . n., T . ,1 * 1 O Jll(Hlt< lilt? UlUUllUilO UJ. , clglucMJ^ Wl f\J* 
whatever produces, or is fitted to produce, in- *urb mentally; move: as, he wls greatly ex- 
creased action in any part of a living organism . 
The French [affect] excitants, irritants nitrous oxide, 
alcohol, champagne. Coleridge, Table-Talk. 
. 
bot. and zool., notched or retuse. 
End sinuately excised. 
Scutal margin [of Dichelaspia warwicki\ deeply excised 
at a point corresponding with the apex of the scuta. 
Darwin, Cirripedia, p. 121. 
The strength of dilute sulphuric acid generally employed 
as an excitant for the Smee battery is one part (volume) of 
sulphuric acid to ten parts of water. 
J. W. Urquhart, Electrotyping, p. 47. 
pp. of excitare, excite: see excite.] 
rouse. 
It would excitate & stir them vp, so that they would be 
willing to reade and to learne of them selues. 
Levins, Manip. Vocab. (E. E. T. S.), Fret, p. 3. 
The Earth, being excitated to wrath, in revenge of her 
children brought forth Fame, the youngest sister of the 
giants. Bacon, Sister of the Giants, or Fame. 
But their iterated clamations to excitate their dying or 
dead friends, or revoke them into life again, was a vanity 
of affection. Sir T. Browne, Urn-burial, iv. 
excitation (ek-si-ta'shon), 11. [= F. excitation 
" = It. cccita- 
excitare, excite : 
see excite.] 1. The act of exciting or rousing 
to action ; a stirring up or awakening. 
Here are words of fervent excitation to the frozen hearts 
of others. Bp. Hall, Works, II. 293. 
It may be safely said that the order of excitation is from 
muscles that are small and frequently acted on to those 
which are larger and less frequently acted on. 
//. Spencer, Direction of Motion, 90. 
exciseman (ek-siz 'man), H.; pi. excisemen 
(-men). In Great Britain, an officer engaged 2. The state of being excited; exciti lent. 
tact, etc. 
excitative (ek-si'ta-tiv), a. 
Sp. Pg. excitativo = It. eceitatico; as excite 
serving to excite ; excitatory. 
Admonitory of duty, and excitatice of devotion. 
Ban-on; The Creed. 
in collecting excise duties, and in preventing 
infringement of the excise laws. 
A certain number of Gangers, called by the Vulgar Ex- 
cise-men. Defoe, Tour through Great Britain, II. 108. 
At a meeting of his brother excisemen in Dumfries, 
Burns, being called upon for a song, handed these verses 
to the president. 
J. Carrie, Note on Bums'! The Deil's awa' wi' the 
[Exciseman. 
excision (ek-sizh'ou), n. [= F. excision = Sp. 
excision = Pg. excisSo, < L. excinio(n-), a cutting 
out, < cxcisus, pp. of excidere, cut put : see ex- 
cide, excise 1 .] 1. The act of cutting off, out, 
or away, as a part (especially a small diseased 
part) of the body by a surgical operation, the 
tap-roots or other parts of a tree, etc. 
They [the Egyptians] borrowed of the lewes abstinence 
from Swiues-flesh and circumcision of their males, to which 
they added excision of their females. 
Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 577. 
2. A cutting off from intercourse or union ; a as to secure the operator from the force or ef- 
setting aside or shutting out ; exclusion ; ex- feet of the shock. 
communication. excitatory (ek-si'ta-to-ri), a. [< excitate + -ory.] 
Tending to excite ; containing or characterized 
by excitement ; excitative. 
The experiments of physiology prove a definite measura- 
ble period of molecular commotion, known as the excita- 
This can no way be drawn to the condemnation and final - ..... Si _n___ * n 
excision of such persons who after baptism fall into any 
great sin, of which they are willing to repent. 
Jer. Taylor, Repentance, ix. 4. excite (ek 
3f. Extirpation ; total destruction. 
That extermination and excision of the Canaanites, which 
carries so horrible an appearance of severity. 
Barrow, Works, III. xxxvii. 
Such conquerors are the instruments of vengeance on 
those nations that have . . . grown ripe for excision. 
Bp. Atterbury. 
cited by the news. 
I will excite their minds 
With more desire to know. 
Milton, P. L., iv. 522. 
= Syn. To awaken, incite, inflame, kindle, irritate, pro- 
voke. 
excitedly (ek-si'ted-li), adv. In an excited man- 
ner. 
To excite; excitefult (ek- sit 'fill), a. [< excite + -ful.] 
Fitted to excite; full of exciting matter: as, 
exciteful stories or prayers. Chapman. 
excitement (ek-sit'ment), n. [= It. eccitameii- 
to; as excite + -ment.] 1. The act of exciting; 
stimulation. 
When I view the fairness and equality of his temper 
and carriage, I can in truth descry in his own name no 
original excitement of such distaste, which commonly 
ariseth, not so much from high fortune as from high 
looks. Sir //. W'otton, Reliquia;, p. 553. 
2. The state of being excited or roused into 
action; agitation; sensation; commotion: as, 
the news caused great excitement; an excitement 
of the people. 
Remove the pendulum of conventional routine, and the 
mental machinery runs on with a whir that gives a delight- 
ful excitement to sluggish temperaments, and is, perhaps, 
the natural relief of highly nervous organizations. 
Lowell, Among my Books, 1st ser., p. 128. 
A man worn to skin and bone by perpetual excitement, 
with baldish head, sharp features, and swift, shining eyes. 
K. L. Stevenson, Inland Voyage, p. 151. 
3. In med., a state of increased, and especially 
unduly increased, activity in the body or in any 
All the circumstances under which an excitation origi- of its parts. 4. That which excites or rouses ; 
nally occurred being supposed the same, the degree of re- .1...^ ...i.;,.i. ,,.,,,..,. atii.o imln,.,^ Q/HATI n. 
vivability of the feeling that was produced varies with the 
physiological conditions that exist when the revival takes 
place or is attempted. 
H. Spencer, Prin. of Psycho!., 101. 
Excitation Of electricity, the disturbance of the elec- 
tric equilibrium by friction, elevation of temperature, con- 
[= F. excitatif = 
that which moves, stirs, or induces action ; a 
motive. 
Just before the battle of Trebia, the General, encourag- 
ing his followers, by all the usual excitements, to do their 
duty, concludes with a promise of the most magnificent 
spoils. tt'arlmrloii, Divine Legation, ix. 2. 
The cares and excitements of a season of transition and 
struggle. Talfourd. 
exciter (ek-si'ter), ti. 1. One who or that which 
Sp fs. exciwtiro = it. eeeuamo; as exciie -r OJUUVM i, cn 
-<fre.] Having power to excite; tending or excites; one who puts in motion, or the cause 
which awakens and moves or sets in operation. 
Hope is the grand exciter of industry. 
Decay of Christian Piety. 
2. In med.. a stimulant; an excitant. 
or other electrical apparatus in such a manner 
O poore and myserable citie, what sondry tourmentes, 
excisions, subuertions, depopulations, and other euyll ad- 
uentnres hath hapned vnto the ! 
Sir T. Eluot, The Governour, iii. 22. 
as presented to us by the modern Democrats, should be, 
amongst the masses who do not detect its falsehood, the 
most exciting idea that could be offered to the human 
imagination. II'. //. Mallock, Social Equality, p. 207. 
Exciting cause, in med., whatever immediately produces 
a particular state or disease, as distinguished from predis- 
posing cause. 
Exposure to cold or damp is the exciting cause of a ca- 
tarrh. Hooper, Med. Diet. 
excitare, call out, call forth, arouse, wake up, 
stimulate, freq. of excicre, call out, arouse, ex- 
cite, < ex. out, + ciere, call, summon: see cite, 
and cf. aceite, concite, incite, etc.] 1. To call 
into movement or active existence by some 
., exciting muscular contraction ; per- 
Marshall Hall's term for that part of the spinal cord which 
is concerned in reflex action together with the afferent 
and efferent nerves which belong to it. 
excitability (ek-si-ta-bil'i-ti), H. [= F. excita- stimulating influence ; quicken into manifesto- excitomotory (ek-si'td-m6''to-ri), a. Same as 
hiJit^ Sn fr^itfihili.fJfifl T-*cr f>.rf t !ffi1iiJit1fifJf> ~ j*___ _AI_ - ,.*. I n 4-C.- . nv .r>A r.fnHs\mf\1-i\f 
f = Sp. excitabilidad = Pg. excitabilidade = 
It. eccitabilita ; as excitable + -ity.] 1. The 
quality of being excitable ; readiness or prone- 
ness to be provoked or moved into action ; the 
quality of being easily agitated ; nervousness. 
This early excitability prepared his mind for the religious 
sentiment that afterwards became so powerfully dominant. 
L. Homer, tr. of Villari's Savonarola, i. 2. 
2. In pliysiol., irritability. 
Nerves during regeneration may fail to show excitability 
to electrical stimulus, yet be capable of transmitting sen- 
sory or motor impulses. 
Buck's Handbook of Med. Sciences, V. 142. 
excitable (ek-si'ta-bl), a. [= F. excitable = Sp. 
excitable = Pg. excitavel; as excite + -able.] 
Susceptible of or prone to excitement ; capable 
of being excited; easily stirred up or stimu- 
lated : as, an excitable temperament. 
tion; stir or start up; set in motion or opera- excitomotor. 
tion: as, to excite a mutiny; to excite hope or exclaim (eks-klam') 
[< OF. eiclamer, F. ex- 
animosity. 
clamer = Sp. Pg. exclamar = It. esclamare. scla- 
oaj i - o . , , . 
They might excite contest, emulation, and laudable en- mare, < L. exclamare, cry out, < ex, out, + cta- 
deavours. Bacon, Physical Fables, ii., Expl. mare, cry, shout: see ctaml.J I. uitrtins. io 
The news of the fall of Calcutta reached Madras, and ex- cry out; speak with vehemence; make a loud 
cited the fiercest and bitterest resentment. 
Macaulay, Lord Clive. 
Many of her acts had been unusual, but excited no up- 
roar. Mary. Fuller, Woman in 19th Cent. , p. 39. 
Feelings of admii'ation and devotion are of various de- 
grees, and are excited by various objects. 
J. R. Seeley, Nat. Religion, p. 71. 
Emotions are excited, not by physical agencies them- 
selves, but by certain complex relations among them. 
//. Spencer, Prin. of Psychol., 97. 
2. To induce action or activity in ; stimulate ; 
animate; arouse. 
outcry in words: as, to exclaim against oppres- 
sion ; to exclaim with wonder or astonishment. 
I will exclaim to the world on thee, and beg justice of 
the Duke himself ; villain ! I will. 
Ford, Love's Sacrifice, iii. 1. 
The most insupportable of tyrants exclaim against the 
exercise of arbitrary power. >'iV K. L'Estrange. 
How I would wake weeping, and in the anguish of my 
heart exclaim upon sweet (.'alne i" Wiltshire! 
Lamb, Christ's Hospital. 
II. trnim. To say loudly or vehemently ; cry 
out : as, he exclaimed, I will not ! 
