I.to call out or forth, to bring or send out, to wake or rouse up (freq. and class.; cf.: provoco, evoco; irrito, lacesso, invito).
I. Lit.: unde (Acherunte) animae excitantur obscura umbra, Poëta ap. Cic. Tusc. 1, 16, 37: “aliquem a portu,” Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 10: “aliquem huc foras,” id. Rud. 1, 5, 2: “si excitatus fuerit de spectaculis,” turned out, expelled, Quint. 3, 6, 19: “dormientes spectatores e somno,” to wake up, Plaut. Merc. 1, 2, 48; cf.: “quaeso, ne me e somno excitetis,” Cic. Rep. 6, 12: “velut dormitantes eos excitari,” Quint. 4, 1, 73: “patre excitato (opp. dormiente),” id. 4, 2, 72: “scuto offenso excitatus vigil,” Liv. 7, 36, 2: “aliquem ab inferis,” to summon up, Cic. Font. 12, 26; id. Cat. 2, 10, 20; Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 49, 129: “aliquem a mortuis,” id. de Or. 1, 57, 245: “non dubitavit excitare reum consularem,” to call upon to stand up, to call up, id. ib. 2, 28, 124: “reos,” id. ib. 2, 47, 195; Quint. 11, 3, 174; cf. Liv. 9, 8, 3: “testes,” Cic. Rab. Post. 17, 47: judicem, Cels. ap. Quint. 9, 2, 104 et saep.: feras, to rouse or scare up, Cic. Off. 3, 17, 68: “cervum nemorosis latibulis,” Phaedr. 2, 8, 1.—Prov.: “aliis leporem,” Petr. 1, 31, 7.—
B. Transf., of inanim. and abstr. things, to raise, erect: “vapores, qui a sole ex aquis excitantur,” Cic. N. D. 2, 46, 118: “caput altius,” Cels. 8, 4 med.—
2. In partic., with the accessory notion of making, forming, to raise, erect, build, construct: “exstrui vetat (Plato) sepulcrum altius, quam, etc. ... nec e lapide excitari amplius,” Cic. Leg. 2, 27, 68: “turres,” Caes. B. G. 5, 40, 2; id. B. C. 1, 25 fin.: “tumulum alicui,” Suet. Claud. 1: “aedificium,” Sen. Ep. 52: “urbem,” Flor. 1, 1: “nova sarmenta cultura excitantur,” are produced, Cic. de Or. 2, 21, 88: “pascua in novalibus,” Pall. Nov. 13, 3: “ignem,” to kindle up, excite, Caes. B. G. 7, 24, 4; Lucr. 6, 308: “incendium,” Cic. Phil. 7, 1, 3: “invalidas flammas admoto fomite,” Luc. 8, 776.—Poet. transf.: “aras,” Verg. G. 4, 549: “foculum bucca,” Juv. 3, 262: “siser stomachum,” Plin. 20, 5, 17, § 34: “uvae os, stomachum,” id. 23, 1, 7, § 12.
II. Trop.
A. In gen., to raise up, comfort; to arouse, awaken, excite, incite, stimulate, enliven: “qui ab excitata fortuna ad inclinatam et prope jacentem desciscerem,” erected, established, Cic. Fam. 2, 16, 1; cf.: “amici jacentem animum excitare,” id. Lael. 16, 59; and with this cf. id. Att. 1, 16, 8; and: “animos excitare atque inflammare ad persequendi studium,” id. de Imp. Pomp. 2, 5: “animos omnium ad laetitiam,” Caes. B. G. 7, 79, 3: “aliquem ad laborem et ad laudem,” Cic. Planc. 24, 59; cf. id. Top. 2, 5: “languentem labentemque populum ad decus,” id. de Or. 1, 46, 202: “aliquem ad bellum,” Caes. B. G. 3, 10, 3: “aliquem ad virtutem,” id. ib. 6, 14, 5: “aliquem ad audiendum,” Quint. 4, 1, 34: “gallos alacritate ad canendum,” Cic. Div. 2, 26, 56 et saep.: “alicujus memoriam alicui excitans,” reviving, renewing, Cic. Or. 10, 35: “hominum studia ad utilitates nostras allicere atque excitare,” id. Off. 2, 6, 20: “hominum studia,” Caes. B. C. 3, 21, 1: “salsum excitat et a taedio defendit orationem,” enlivens, Quint. 6, 3, 19: “fictiones personarum mire orationem excitant,” id. 9, 2, 29; cf. id. 6, 1, 2: “hi soni cum augenda intentione excitandi (opp. temperandi),” to sharpen, pronounce strongly, id. 11, 3, 42: “syllabam acutam,” id. 12, 10, 33. —
B. In partic.
1. To appeal to, call upon, cite: “ut nos ex annalium monimentis testis excitamus eos, etc.,” Cic. Fin. 2, 21, 67: “multos testis liberalitatis tuae,” id. Rab. Post. 17, 47.—
2. With the accessory idea of producing (acc. to I. B. 2.), to found, cause, occasion, excite, kindle: “priusquam docuero, quibus initiis ac fundamentis hae tantae summis in rebus laudes excitatae sint,” Cic. Sest. 2, 5; cf. id. Fin. 4, 7, 18: “in animis hominum motum dicendo vel excitare vel sedare,” id. de Or. 1, 46, 202: “risus,” id. Phil. 3, 9, 21: “plausum,” id. Sest. 58, 124: “fletum etiam inimicis,” id. ib. 57, 121: “amores,” id. Off. 1, 5, 14: “iras,” Verg. A. 2, 594: “suspicionem alicui,” Cic. Sest. 18, 41: varios sermones, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 10, 2: “quantas tragoedias,” Cic. Mil. 7, 18: “vim ac dolorem bonorum omnium,” id. Planc. 18, 45 et saep. —Hence, excĭtātus , a, um, P. a. (lit. excited, kindled; hence), animated, lively, vigorous, vehement, strong, loud (rare but class.): “acutus et excitatus sonus,” Cic. Rep. 6, 18.—Comp.: “clamor,” Liv. 4, 37, 9: “haec lumina,” Quint. 12, 10, 49: “schema,” id. 9, 3, 10.—Sup.: “odor,” Plin. 20, 17, 71, § 182. —Adv.: excĭtāte , vigorously, briskly, brightly, vehemently.—In the comp.: “fulgent gemmae,” Plin. 37, 7, 31, § 106: “clamitantes,” Amm. 18, 8.