v.
- make annoyed or angry.
- cause inflammation in (a part of the body).
- Biology stimulate (an organism, cell, etc.) to produce an active response.
Derivative
- irritated adj.
- irritatedly adv.
- irritating adj.
- irritatingly adv.
- irritation n.
- irritative adj.
- irritator n.
Etymology
C16 (earlier (ME) as irritation), in sense ‘excite, provoke’: from L. irritat-, irritare ‘irritate’.