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^(key): /ˈæktʃu.eɪt/, /ˈæktju.eɪt/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈækt͡ʃu.eɪt/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈækt͡ʃʉ.æɪt/

  • Audio (Queensland):

    (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.
   • November 6, 1750, Samuel Johnson, The Rambler No. 67

     Wings, which others were contriving to actuate by the perpetual motion.

   • 1906 January–October, Joseph Conrad, chapter IV, in The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale, London: Methuen & Co., […], published 1907, →OCLC; The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Collection of British Authors; 3995), copyright edition, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1907, →OCLC, pages 68–69:

     I walk always with my right hand closed round the india-rubber ball which I have in my trouser pocket. The pressing of this ball actuates a detonator inside the flask I carry in my pocket. It's the principle of the pneumatic instantaneous shutter for a camera lens.

2. (transitive) To incite to action; to motivate.
   • 1748, David Hume, 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.

   • 1712 January 2 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “SATURDAY, December 22, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 255; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume III, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:

     Men of the greatest abilities are most fired with ambition; and, on the contrary, mean and narrow minds are the least actuated by it.

     The spelling has been modernized.

Derived terms

• actuatable
• actuation
• actuator
• reactuate
• underactuate

 

Translations

to activate; put into motion

• Bulgarian: задвижвам (bg) (zadvižvam), възбуждам (bg) (vǎzbuždam)
• Czech: aktivovat (cs)
• Dutch: aandrijven (nl)
• Finnish: käyttää (fi); liikuttaa (fi)
• German: in Gang setzen, aktivieren (de)
• Greek: ενεργοποιώ (el) (energopoió), κινητοποιώ (el) (kinitopoió)
• Japanese: 作動させる (ja) (さどうさせる, sadō saseru)
• Latin: āctuō
• Polish: uruchomić (pl)
• Russian: приводи́ть в де́йствие impf (privodítʹ v déjstvije), привести́ в де́йствие pf (privestí v déjstvije)

to incite to action

• Bulgarian: подбуждам към действие (podbuždam kǎm dejstvie)
• Czech: podněcovat
• Dutch: aanzetten (nl)
• Estonian: rakendama
• Finnish: kannustaa (fi), motivoida (fi), innostaa (fi)
• German: antreiben (de), anstacheln (de), motivieren (de), bewegen (de)
• Latin: stimulō, acuō, excitō, incitō, incendō
• Polish: pobudzać (pl)
• Portuguese: estimular (pt)
• Russian: побужда́ть к де́йствию impf (pobuždátʹ k déjstviju), побуди́ть к де́йствию impf (pobudítʹ k déjstviju)

See also

• actualise, actualize

Latin

Verb

āctuāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of āctuō

Spanish

Verb

actuate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of actuar combined with te