irritability

noun

excessive response to stimuli. In a biological sense it is the excitatory ability that living organisms have to respond to changes in their environment.

Pronunciation: /ˌɪɹɪtəˈbɪlɪti/

Etymology: From Latin irritabilitās, equivalent to irritable + -ity.

The state or quality of being irritable; quick excitability.
“irritability of temper”
“Blue No. 1 and yellow No. 6 may also be toxic to some human cells. And as little as 1 milligram of yellow dye No. 5 may cause irritability, restlessness and sleep disturbances for sensitive children.”
A natural susceptibility, characteristic of all living organisms, tissues, and cells, to the influence of certain stimuli, response being manifested in a variety of ways.
“We find a renitency in ourselves to ascribe life and irritability to the cold and motionless fibres of plants.”
“There is growth only in plants; but there is irritability, or, a better word, instinctivity, in insects.”
A condition of morbid excitability of an organ or part of the body; undue susceptibility to the influence of stimuli.