irrīto (inr-), āvi, ātum, 1 (perf. subj. inritassis for inritaveris, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 298), v. a. [cf. ἔρις, ἐρέθω, ἐρεθίζω, Curt. Gr. Etym. p. 342, ed. 4], to incite, excite, stimulate, instigate, provoke, exasperate, irritate.
I Lit.: inritare dictum est proprie provocare, Non. 31, 21: si me inritassis, etc., Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 298; id. Stich. 2, 2, 22: ne si magis inritatus siet, Ter. Ad. 282: ita sum inritatus, ut, etc., id. Phorm. 240: ut vi inritare ferroque lacessere fortissimum virum auderet, Cic. Mil. 31, 84: virum telis, Verg. A. 10, 644: Terra, ira irritata deorum, id. ib. 4, 178: bello gentes, Just. 12, 6, 16: sibi simultates, Liv. 33, 46: aliquem ad necem alicujus, Vell. 2, 66.— Poet.: cum fera diluvies quietos Irritat amnes, enrages , Hor. C. 3, 29, 41: flammas, to kindle , Ov. F. 2, 649.—
II In gen., to incite , move , stir up , provoke , vex , inflame : crabrones, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 75: tribunos plebis fama ea ipsa inritaverat magis ad certamen, Liv. 6, 27: animos ad bellum, id. 31, 5: iracundiam, Sen. de Ira, 3, 8: infantiam ad discendum, Quint. 1, 1, 26: forma meos irritat amores, Ov. Am. 2, 4, 9: vitia, id. ib. 3, 4, 11: cupiditatem, Sen. Ep. 7: suspiciones, Tac. H. 3, 4: animos, Hor. A. P. 180: ingenium, Prop. 4 (5), 6, 75: naturam per se pronam ad humanitatem, Sen. Ben. 6, 29: princeps, qui delatores non castigat, irritat, encourages , Suet. Dom. 9: exitium, to hasten , Tac. A. 13, 1: tussim, to excite , make worse , Cels. 2, 1; 5, 28, 2. — Hence, irrī-tātus , a, um, P. a., excited , enraged , provoked , irritated : canem inritatam imitarier, Plaut. Capt. 3, 1, 25: ad aliquid, Suet. Galb. 21: in aliquid, Sen. Ep. 97.— Comp. : ego his ejus verbis irritatior, Gell. 15, 9, 7; 10, 9, 2; id. praef. § 20.—Adv.: irrītātē , in an irritated manner; only in comp. , Amm. 22, 15, 19.