"arousal" in the noun sense
1. arousal, rousing
the act of arousing
"the purpose of art is the arousal of emotions"
2. arousal
a state of heightened physiological activity
3. arousal
awakening from sleep
4. foreplay, arousal, stimulation
mutual sexual fondling prior to sexual intercourse
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.
View WordNet® License