Emily Dickinson Lexicon

START'LE, v.t.

1. To impress with fear; to excite by sudden alarm, surprise or apprehension; to shock; to alarm to fright. We were started at the cry of distress. Any great and unexpected event is apt to startle us. The supposition that angels assume bodies, need not startle us. – Locke.
2. To deter; to cause to deviate. [Little used.] – Clarendon.