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Origin and history of rouse

rouse(v.)

mid-15c., rousen, intransitive, probably from Anglo-French or Old French reuser, ruser; Middle English Compendium compares 16c. French rousee "abrupt movement." Sometimes also said to be from Latin recusare "refuse, decline," with loss of the medial -c-. Originally in English a technical term in hawking, "to shaking the feathers of the body," but like many medieval hawking and hunting terms it is of obscure origin.

The sense of "cause game to rise from cover or lair" is from 1520s. The word became general from 16c. in the figurative, transitive, meaning "stir up, cause to start up by noise or clamor, provoke to activity; waken from torpor or inaction" (1580s); that of "to awaken, cause to start from slumber or repose" is recorded by 1590s. Related: Roused; rousing.

also from mid-15c.

Entries linking to rouse

arouse(v.)

1590s, "awaken, stir to action" (transitive), from a- (1) "on" + rouse. Related: Aroused; arousing.

rabble-rouser(n.)

"demagogue, one who arouses the emotions of a disorderly crowd," 1842, agent noun from rabble-rousing, which is attested by 1802 as an adjective (in Sydney Smith), by 1933 as a noun; see rabble (n.1) + rouse (v.).

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Trends of rouse

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to explore

row
"series of people or things in a more or less straight line," Middle English reue, from late Old English reawe, rewe, earlier ræw "a row, line; succession, hedge-row," probably from Proto-Germanic *rai(h)waz (source also of Middle Dutch rie, Dutch rij "row;" Old High German rihan
agitate
1580s, "to disturb," from Latin agitatus, past participle of agitare "to put in constant or violent motion, drive onward, impel," frequentative of agere "to set in motion, drive, drive forward," figuratively "incite to action; keep in movement, stir up" (from PIE root *ag- "to dr
charge
early 13c., chargen, "to load, put a burden on or in; fill with something to be retained," from Old French chargier "to load, burden, weigh down," from Late Latin carricare "to load a wagon or cart," from Latin carrus "two-wheeled wagon" (see car). The senses of "entrust," "comma
excite
mid-14c., exciten, "to move, stir up, instigate," from Old French esciter (12c.) or directly from Latin excitare "rouse,...Of feelings, "to stir up, rouse," from late 14c. Of bodily organs or tissues, from 1831....Sense of "rouse the emotions of, emotionally agitate" is attested from 1821....
cite
from Old French citer "to summon" (14c.), from Latin citare "to summon, urge, call; put in sudden motion, call forward; rouse..., excite," frequentative of ciere "to move, set in motion, stir, rouse, call, invite" from PIE root *keie- "to set in motion...
awaken
The transitive meaning "to rouse from sleep" is recorded from 1510s; the figurative sense of "stir up, rouse to activity"...
stir
, "to agitate with a rotating motion (a liquid or mixture by hand or with an instrument), move, change the location of; rouse...To stir up is from mid-14c. in a literal sense; by 1540s as "rouse to action."...
change
c. 1200, "to alter, make different, change" (transitive); early 13c. as "to substitute one for another;" mid-13c. as "to make (something) other than what it was, cause to turn or pass from one state to another;" from late 13c. as "to become different, be altered" (intransitive),
hunt
Old English huntian "chase game" (transitive and intransitive), perhaps developed from hunta "hunter," and related to hentan "to seize," from Proto-Germanic *huntojan (source also of Gothic hinþan "to seize, capture," Old High German hunda "booty"), which is of uncertain origin.
modify
late 14c., modifien, "alter, amend, adjust, change the properties, form, or function of;" also "set limits, keep within the bounds of reason; choose a middle course," from Old French modifier (14c.), from Latin modificare "to limit, measure off, restrain," from modus "measure, ma

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Dictionary entries near rouse
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