From the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "to arouse," the excitator in

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

seminaries, monasteries and

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

s was the member of the community charged with the job of awakening community members each morning.Consuetudinarium Provinciae Marylandiensis-Neo Eboracensis Societatis Jesu Traditionally, the excitator (who usually held this post temporarily, as one of the community "

chore Chore may refer to one of the following: * House work * Housekeeping * Handyman work (odd jobs) * Biochore, parts of the biosphere with similar environmental conditions *Chore (band) Chore were a Canadian post-hardcore band from Dunnville, O ...

s" through which members would rotate) would knock on a

bedroom A bedroom or bedchamber is a room situated within a residential or accommodation unit characterised by its usage for sleeping and sexual activity. A typical western bedroom contains as bedroom furniture one or two beds (ranging from a crib for ...

door or open it slightly and loudly say, ''Benedicamus Domino!'' (Let us bless the Lord.) He or she was then to wait for the reply, ''Deo gratias!'' (Thanks be to God), which signaled that the occupant was now awake. Some communities maintain the tradition, while others now have members rely on their own

alarm clock An alarm clock (or sometimes just an alarm) is a clock that is designed to alert an individual or group of individuals at a specified time. The primary function of these clocks is to awaken people from their night's sleep or short naps; they ar ...

References

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