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# stimulus

noun (a stimulus, stimuli)

«stimulus» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A stimulus is something that causes a living thing to react, such as light, sound, heat or touch. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stimulus/#m1)
2. A stimulus is something that encourages activity or growth, such as a reward or extra money. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stimulus/#m2)
3. (money) A stimulus is money a government spends to help the economy grow, such as stimulus payments. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stimulus/#m3)

### In the lessons

In science lessons on senses and the nervous system, a stimulus is detected by a sense organ and causes a response: touching something hot (stimulus) makes you pull your hand away (response). Plants respond to stimuli too: shoots grow towards light. Phrases: «stimulus and response», «respond to a stimulus», «a stimulus package».

### Examples

- A bright light is a stimulus that makes your pupils shrink. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stimulus/#x1)
- The bell was a stimulus that made the dogs expect food. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stimulus/#x2)
- Plants grow towards the stimulus of light. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stimulus/#x3)
- Touching a hot pan is a stimulus; pulling your hand away is the response. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stimulus/#x4)
- The prize was a stimulus to work harder. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stimulus/#x5)
- The government gave a stimulus payment to families. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stimulus/#x6)
- Different stimuli make us react in different ways. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stimulus/#x7)

### Note

Plural: stimuli (said «STIM-you-lie»), not «stimuluses». Verb: stimulate. Do not confuse with «stimulant», which is a substance like caffeine that makes the body more active.

## In Jewish tradition

Interpretation: This word comes from a modern English comment on the Hebrew word nefesh, "soul," in Sefer Yetzirah. The comment mixes in ideas from Theosophy, which the original text does not have. In the primary lessons: In science lessons on senses and the nervous system, a stimulus is detected by a sense organ and causes a response: touching something hot (stimulus) makes you pull your hand away (response). Plants respond to stimuli too: shoots grow towards light. Phrases: «stimulus and response», «respond to a stimulus», «a stimulus package».

### Examples

- Soul; the word is NPSh, which is commonly translated soul, meaning the living personality of man, animal or existing thing : it corresponds almost to the Theosophic Prana plus the stimulus of Kama. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/stimulus/#x1)

### Note

Plural: stimuli (said «STIM-you-lie»), not «stimuluses». Verb: stimulate. Do not confuse with «stimulant», which is a substance like caffeine that makes the body more active.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «stimulus» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stimulus/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«stimulus» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/stimulus.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of «stimulus» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/stimulus/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«stimulus» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/stimulus.html) on Mova free.