autoexcitation
|au-to-ex-ci-ta-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtoʊˌɛk.sɪˈteɪ.ʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəʊˌɛksɪˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
self-induced excitation
Etymology
'autoexcitation' originates from the combining form 'auto-' (from Greek 'autos', meaning 'self') and the noun 'excitation' (from Latin 'excitare', meaning 'to rouse' or 'to awaken').
'excitation' entered English via Latin 'excitare' → Old French 'exciter' → Middle English 'exciten'/'excite', and the prefix 'auto-' (from Greek 'autos') was later compounded in English to form technical terms such as 'autoexcitation'.
The components originally meant 'self' and 'to rouse'; over time the compound came to be used in technical contexts to mean 'self-induced excitation' within physical, electronic, or biological systems.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or phenomenon in which a system excites itself; self-excitation—when oscillations or activity in a device or system are sustained or amplified by internal feedback rather than by an external driving source.
Autoexcitation in the amplifier produced unexpected oscillations during the test.
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Noun 2
(specialized) In physiology or neuroscience, spontaneous activation of a cell or network caused by its own intrinsic properties or internal feedback.
Researchers observed autoexcitation of the neuronal network under reduced inhibition.
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Last updated: 2025/11/25 11:02