stimulation

Forms

stimulation f (plural stimulations)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin stimulātiō (“goading, incitement”),^[2][3][4] a noun formed on the supine of stimulō (“to goad, spur on”),^[4] the source of stimuler.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded at the end of the 14th century in the Latin–French glossary Aalma, meaning the act of urging someone to do something.^[2][3] Christine de Pizan uses it in her life of Charles V for a disorderly urging on of an election.^[5][4]

Semantic evolution

In the 15th century it also meant the excitement or temptation of the flesh (1485), a sense since lost.^[3] The word was still recorded in 1675 but seems to have been rare until the 19th century;^[3][4] medicine took it up again for the action of stimulant substances (1825)^[2][6] and for the stirring of the mental faculties (1833).^[3][7] In 1839 Auguste Comte used it in the general sense “action of stimulating”.^[2]

In the 20th century it became linked with stimulus, for the action of a stimulus on an excitable organ,^[3][6] and about 1970 it became the technical name of a process for keeping the rock of an oil well from clogging so that the flow is increased.^[3][8]

Timeline

• Late 14th century – First recorded in the Aalma glossary.^[2]
• 1485 – It means the temptation of the flesh.^[3]
• 1675 – Last record before a long gap.^[3][4]
• 1825 – Broussais uses it for the action of stimulants.^[2][6]
• 1833 – Used for the excitement of the intellectual faculties.^[3][7]
• 1839 – Auguste Comte uses it for the action of stimulating in general.^[2]
• 1842 – Recorded in the supplement to the Académie's dictionary.^[4][7]
• c. 1970 – It names a technique for increasing the flow of oil wells.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act of stimulating, of rousing someone's energy or effort: la stimulation des joueurs par la concurrence.^[6][8][9]
2. (medicine) The increase of the activity of an organ or function by stimulants: la stimulation de la digestion.^[6][8][4]
3. (physiology) The action of a stimulus on an excitable structure, excitation.^[6][8]
4. (petroleum) A technique for preventing the clogging of the rock around an oil well to increase its output.^[8][3]

Related words

• stimuler
• stimulant
• stimulateur
• stimulus

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
8. ^ a b c d e Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)