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A state of aroused or increased vital activity in an organism, or any of its organs or tissues.

Not easily aroused or excited; not sensitive in perception or feeling; dull; witless. Tell her of things that no gross ear can hear. Milton.

To affect powerfully; to arouse the passions of. Dr. H. More.

to force out by a blow or by blows; as, to knock out the brains. -- To knock up. (a) To arouse by knocking. (b) To beat or tire out; to fatigue till unable to do more; as, the men were entirely knocked up. [Colloq.] "The day being exceedingly hot, the want of food had knocked up my followers." Petherick. (c) (Bookbin…

Capable of being moved, aroused, or excited; capable of spontaneous movement.

abstracted and pensive; sad; gloomy; melancholy. "Every peevish, moody malcontent." Rowe. Arouse thee from thy moody dream! Sir W. Scott.

To arouse the feelings or passions of; especially, to excite to tenderness or compassion; to touch pathetically; to excite, as an emotion. Shak. When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them. Matt. ix. 36. [The use of images] in orations and poetry is to move pity or terror. Felton.…

Drunken revelry; a carouse. B. Jonson. Tennyson.

r oblique, or pathetic, muscle of the eye. -- The pathetic, a style or manner adapted to arouse the tender emotions.

A carouse; any reckless dissipation. [Slang]

e to spring up from recumbent position, from a state of quiet, or the like; to awaken; to arouse. They shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. Job xiv. 12.

To feast in a riotous manner; to carouse; to act the bacchanalian; to make merry. Shak.

Disposed to arouse, or take part in, violent opposition to lawful authority; turbulent; factious; guilty of sedition; as, seditious citizens. -- Se*di"tious*ly, adv. -- Se*di"tious*ness, n.

To incite to action; to arouse; to instigate; to prompt; to excite. "To stir men to devotion." Chaucer. An Ate, stirring him to blood and strife. Shak. And for her sake some mutiny will stir. Dryden.

Hopelessly insensible or stupid; not easily aroused or excited; dull; impassive; foolish.

To rouse up; to rouse from sleep; to awake; to arouse. Shak.

To put in motion or action; to arouse; to excite. "I shall waken all this company." Chaucer. Lest fierce remembrance wake my sudden rage. Milton. Even Richard's crusade woke little interest in his island realm. J. R. Green.

An occasion on which such good wishes are expressed in drinking; a drinking bout; a carouse. "In merry wassail he . . . peals his loud song." Sir W. Scott. The king doth wake to-night and takes his rouse, Keeps wassail. Shak. The victors abandoned themselves to feasting and wassail. Prescott.