actuate

English

WOTD – 11 January 2009    

Etymology

From Medieval Latin āctuātus, perfect passive participle of āctuō (“actuate, implement”), from Latin āctus, perfect passive participle of agō (“do, act”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈæktʃu.eɪt/, /ˈæktju.eɪt/, X-SAMPA: /"{ktSu.eIt/, /"{ktju.eIt/
• (US) IPA: /ˈæktʃu.eɪt/, X-SAMPA: /"{ktSu.eIt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

actuate (third-person singular simple present actuates, present participle actuating, simple past and past participle actuated)

1. (transitive) To activate, or to put into motion; to animate.
2. (transitive) To incite to action; to motivate.
   • 1748. HUME, David Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral. 2. ed. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. § 11.

     A man in a fit of anger, is actuated in a very different manner from one who only thinks of that emotion.

Derived terms

• actuator

Related terms

• actuation

Translations

to activate; put into motion

• Bulgarian: задвижвам (bg) (zadvižvam), възбуждам (bg) (vǎzbuždam)
• Czech: aktivovat (cs)
• Dutch: aandrijven (nl)
• Japanese: 作動させる (ja) (さどうさせる, sadō saseru)

• Latin: āctuō (la)
• Polish: uruchomić (pl)
• Russian: приводить в действие (ru) (privoditʹ v dejstvije)

to incite to action

• Bulgarian: подбуждам към действие (bg) (podbuždam kǎm dejstvie)
• Czech: podněcovat (cs)
• Dutch: aanzetten (nl)
• Estonian: rakendama (et)

• Latin: stimulō (la), acuō (la), excitō (la), incitō (la), incendō (la)
• Polish: pobudzać (pl)
• Portuguese: estimular (pt)
• Russian: побуждать (ru) (pobuždát’)

See also

• actualise, actualize

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Latin

Verb

āctuāte

1. first-person plural present active imperative of āctuō