de-excites
|de-ex-cites|
/ˌdiːɪkˈsaɪt/
(de-excite)
remove excitation / lower energy
Etymology
'de-excite' originates from Latin-derived elements: the prefix 'de-' from Latin 'dē' meaning 'away, off' and 'excite', which comes from Latin 'excitare' meaning 'to rouse or call out'.
'excite' came into English via Latin 'excitare' (through Old French/Middle English forms) and 'de-' was added in modern English formation to create the compound 'de-excite' meaning the reversal or removal of excitation.
Initially, 'excite' meant 'to rouse or call out' (from Latin); over time 'excite' came to mean 'to cause activity or higher energy', and the prefixed form 'de-excite' evolved to mean 'to remove or reduce that excitation (lower energy)'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
third-person singular present tense of 'de-excite' (to remove or reduce excitation; to cause an atom, molecule, or system to move to a lower energy state).
When the atom de-excites, it emits a photon.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/26 20:09