irritate

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   excite to an abnormal condition, or chafe or inflame

   Aspirin irritates my stomach

2. 2
   verb

   excite to some characteristic action or condition, such as motion, contraction, or nervous impulse, by the application of a stimulus

   irritate the glands of a leaf

3. 3
   verb

   To provoke impatience, anger, or displeasure in.

   If thou irritatest my lord, there will come to war against thee all the Getulians, Numidians, and Garamantes, Afric contains.

4. 4
   verb

   To render null and void.

   c. 1634-1661 John Bramhall, Protestants' Ordination Defended Are human laws presently superfluous, so often as they do not irritate or abrogate Divine laws ?

5. 5
   verb

   cause annoyance in

6. 6
   verb

   To cause or induce displeasure or irritation.

7. 7
   verb

   To induce pain in (all or part of a body or organism).

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin irritātus, perfect passive participle of irritō (“to invalidate, render void, annul”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from irritus (“invalid”), the equivalent of in- + ratus (“valid, established, fixed”).