The word "arouse" comes from an Old French word meaning "to stir up" and was adopted into English in the mid-15th century, initially as a hawking term for making game rise from cover. It formed by adding the prefix "a-" to the existing verb "rouse," on the model of pairs like "rise" and "arise" or "wake" and "awake". The prefix "a-" in this context comes from Old English, meaning "on" or "in". 

The verb arouse was first used in English around the 1590s, with the earliest known evidence appearing in the writings of William Shakespeare before 1616.

Examples of "arouse" used in a sentence:  
"Walking towards her, I tried to arouse her, but she would not wake." 
"The physical parts always feel very real to me, and arouse me." 
"I don't want to arouse the neighbors' curiosity" 
"The report aroused a great deal of public interest."  
"The husky sound of her voice could always arouse him."
"Their proposal is certain to arouse the opposition." 

Just the facts:

AROUSE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

AROUSE Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words | Merriam-Webster Thesaurus