Brucker Bears 4-5: stimulate

Friday, November 9, 2012

stimulate

(v) - If you stimulate something, you encourage or help it to begin or develop further.

Synonyms: excite, activate, fire up, energize, egg on
Antonyms: calm, discourage, depress
Etymology: 1610s Latin, from stimulus meaning "spur, goad," which actually comes from PIE *sti- meaning "point, prick, pierce"
Morphology: stimulus - n, stimulation - n
Example: "I hope that my work will encourage self expression in others and stimulate the search for beauty and creative excitement in the great world around us." -A.A.

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I am a big fan of vocabulary! Why should words be dull when they can be dazzling? It is my goal for your kids to learn at least 180 impressive words this year, not just so that they will recognize and understand them, but so that they will use them. When they hear, read or say one of the following words, you should expect to hear a little cheer--go ahead, test them out if you dare!

To the left, you will find the official list of our Words of the Day, complete with definitions, synonyms, etymology (origin), and examples. Clicking on the word will take you to the Longman Dictionary for more information, including pronunciation. In fact, you can click on any bold, colorful word or phrase to take a virtual excursion on the web.

If your child hears one of these words in conversation or on TV, have him log on and share what he heard by adding a "comment" below the word. AND, if you want to see your child flex her vocabulary muscle, have her add a comment and use the word in a great sentence of her own!