# stimulus

Pronunciation: US say "STIM-yuh-luhs" /ˈstɪm.jə.ləs/; UK say "STIM-yuu-lus" /ˈstɪm.jʊ.ləs/

## Noun

1. An outside thing or event that influences a system by triggering or changing something within it, such as a spur that drives someone to act.
   - Simple: Something that makes a person or system react, act, or change in some way.
   - _Falling prices provided the stimulus consumers needed to start spending again._
   - _For many artists, harsh criticism becomes a powerful stimulus rather than a setback._
2. An external thing that brings about or influences a physical or mental response, or that affects one of the senses.
   - Simple: Something outside the body that causes a sense, feeling, or reaction.
   - _Researchers measured how quickly subjects reacted to a visual stimulus._
   - _The nerve fires only when the stimulus reaches a certain strength._
3. The structure with which a plant or insect delivers a sting.
   - Simple: A part on the body of a plant or an insect that stings.

## Origin

Borrowed from the Latin stimulus, meaning a goad or prick: a pointed stick used to drive animals forward.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/stimulus (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).