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startle

UK/ˈstɑːt(ə)l/ US/ˈstɑɹt(ə)l/ uncommon obsolete
verb (2) noun (1)

verb

1.

to stimulate to action

  • “..startled him awake”
  • “galvanized into action”
Synonyms
2.

move or jump suddenly, as if in surprise or alarm

  • “She startled when I walked into the room”
Synonyms

noun

1.

a sudden involuntary movement

  • “he awoke with a start”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English startlen, stertlen, stertyllen (“to rush, stumble along”), from Old English steartlian (“to kick with the foot, struggle, stumble”), equivalent to start + -le. Cognate with Old Norse stirtla (“to hobble, stagger”), Icelandic stirtla (“to straighten up, erect”). Compare also Middle English stertil (“hasty”). More at start.

Phrases

  • startle up

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Word family

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.