excitation

Etymology

From Old French excitation, from Latin excitatio. Morphologically excite + -ation

noun

1. The act of exciting or putting in motion; the act of rousing up or awakening.
   Generator excitation is obtained by a combination of the separately-excited and self-excited fields, and the output is controlled by a resistance in the separate field circuit adjusted by the load regulator under the control of the engine governor. 1961 October, “The first 1,250 h.p. Birmingham/Sulzer Type 2 diesels enter service”, in Trains Illustrated, page 607
   Wheelslip automatically causes the main generator field excitation to be reduced; the load regulator is forced back to minimum excitation and, if operating in one of the two stages of traction motor field divert, causes reversion to full field. 1962 December, “The Oxted Line diesel-electric multiple-units”, in Modern Railways, page 385
2. The act of producing excitement (stimulation); also, the excitement produced.
   I'm pickin' up good vibrations / She's giving me the excitations. 1966, Mike Love, Brian Wilson (lyrics and music), “Good Vibrations”, performed by The Beach Boys
3. (physiology) The activity produced in an organ, tissue, or part, such as a nerve cell, as a result of stimulation
4. (physics) A transition of a nucleus, atom or molecule to an excited state by the absorption of a quantum of energy; the opposite of relaxation