arousal

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree English a- English rouse English arouse Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al English -al English arousal From arouse + -al.

1. The act of arousing or the state of being aroused.

   “bodily arousal”

   “emotional arousal”

2. Sexual arousal.

   “Some people get arousal from the depiction of feet.”

3. A physiological and psychological state of being awake or reactive to stimuli, including elevated heart rate and blood pressure and a condition of sensory alertness, mobility and readiness to respond.

   “2003, Jinhee Choi, "Fits and Startles: Cognitivism Revisited," The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 61, no. 2 (Spring), p. 152, Subjects report the physiological arousals induced by adrenaline and placebo differently.”

4. Arousal from sleep or hibernation.

   “the mechanism for arousal from sleep”

   “The animal undergoes regular spells of arousal.”