Agitate

Agitate
Agitate Ag"i*tate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Agitated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Agitating}.] [L. agitatus, p. p. of agitare to put in motion, fr. agere to move: cf. F. agiter. See {Act}, {Agent}.] 1. To move with a violent, irregular action; as, the wind agitates the sea; to agitate water in a vessel. ``Winds . . . agitate the air.'' --Cowper. [1913 Webster]

2. To move or actuate. [R.] --Thomson. [1913 Webster]

3. To stir up; to disturb or excite; to perturb; as, he was greatly agitated. [1913 Webster]

The mind of man is agitated by various passions. --Johnson. [1913 Webster]

4. To discuss with great earnestness; to debate; as, a controversy hotly agitated. --Boyle. [1913 Webster]

5. To revolve in the mind, or view in all its aspects; to contrive busily; to devise; to plot; as, politicians agitate desperate designs. [1913 Webster]

Syn: To move; shake; excite; rouse; disturb; distract; revolve; discuss; debate; canvass. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • agitate — [v1] shake physically beat, churn, concuss, convulse, disturb, rock, rouse, stir, toss; concept 152 Ant. calm, lull, quiet, soothe, tranquilize agitate [v2] disturb, trouble someone alarm, argue, arouse, bug*, bug up*, burn up*, confuse, craze*,… …   New thesaurus

  • agitate — ► VERB 1) make troubled or nervous. 2) campaign to arouse public concern about an issue. 3) stir or disturb (a liquid) briskly. DERIVATIVES agitation noun. ORIGIN Latin agitare agitate, drive …   English terms dictionary

  • agitate — [aj′i tāt΄] vt. agitated, agitating [< L agitatus, pp. of agitare, to put in motion < agere, ACT1] 1. a) to move violently b) to stir up or shake up 2. to excite or disturb the feelings of …   English World dictionary

  • agitate — I (activate) verb actuate, arouse, coax, electrify, energize, excite, exhort, ferment, foment, goad, impel, incite, induce, inflame, influence, inspire, inspirit, instigate, irritate, kindle, persuade, prompt, provoke, roil, rouse, spur,… …   Law dictionary

  • agitate — (v.) 1580s, to disturb, from L. agitatus, pp. of agitare to put in constant motion, drive onward, impel, frequentative of agere to move, drive (see AGITATION (Cf. agitation)). Literal sense of move to and fro, shake is from 1590s. Related:… …   Etymology dictionary

  • agitate — 1 *shake, rock, convulse Analogous words: *stir, rouse, arouse: *move, actuate, drive, impel Antonyms: quiet, lull, still 2 perturb, *discompose, upset, fluster, flurry, disturb, disquiet Analogous words: * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • agitate — [16] Agitate is one of a host of English words descended ultimately from Latin agere (see AGENT). Among the many meanings of agere was ‘drive, move’, and a verb derived from it denoting repeated action, agitāre, hence meant ‘move to and fro’.… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • agitate — [c]/ˈædʒəteɪt / (say ajuhtayt) verb (agitated, agitating) –verb (t) 1. to move or force into irregular action; shake or move: *A sigh of relief, the merest of zephyrs, coming from thirty listeners, was just sufficient to agitate the buttercups.… …  

  • agitate — [16] Agitate is one of a host of English words descended ultimately from Latin agere (see AGENT). Among the many meanings of agere was ‘drive, move’, and a verb derived from it denoting repeated action, agitāre, hence meant ‘move to and fro’.… …   Word origins

  • agitate — v. 1) to agitate strongly 2) (D; intr.) to agitate against; for (they were agitating for reform) * * * [ ædʒɪteɪt] for (they were agitateing for reform) (D; intr.) to agitate against to agitate strongly …   Combinatory dictionary

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