STARTLE

startle, jump, start

(noun) a sudden involuntary movement; “he awoke with a start”

startle, galvanize, galvanise

(verb) to stimulate to action; “the loud noise startled him awake”; “galvanized into action”

startle, jump, start

(verb) move or jump suddenly, as if in surprise or alarm; “She startled when I walked into the room”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

startle (third-person singular simple present startles, present participle startling, simple past and past participle startled)

(intransitive) To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start.

(transitive) To excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension; to frighten suddenly and not seriously; to alarm; to surprise.

(transitive, obsolete) To deter; to cause to deviate.

Synonyms

• (to move suddenly): start

• (to excite suddenly): alarm, frighten, scare, surprise

• (deter): deter

Noun

startle (plural startles)

A sudden motion or shock caused by an unexpected alarm, surprise, or apprehension of danger.

Anagrams

• Slatter, Stalter, Statler, rattles, slatter, starlet

Source: Wiktionary

Star"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Startled; p. pr. & vb. n. Startling.] Etym: [Freq. of start.]

Definition: To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start. Why shrinks the soul Back on herself, and startles at destruction Addison.

Star"tle, v. t.

1. To excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension; to frighten suddenly and not seriously; to alarm; to surprise. The supposition, at least, that angels do sometimes assume bodies need not startle us. Locke.

2. To deter; to cause to deviate. [R.] Clarendon.

Syn.

– To start; shock; fright; frighten; alarm.

Star"tle, n.

Definition: A sudden motion or shock caused by an unexpected alarm, surprise, or apprehension of danger. After having recovered from my first startle, I was very well pleased with the accident. Spectator.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition