provocate

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin provoco, provocatus. Doublet of provoke.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pɹəˈvɒ.keɪt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /pɹəˈvɑ(ː).keɪt/

Verb

provocate (third-person singular simple present provocates, present participle provocating, simple past and past participle provocated)

1. (nonstandard, non-native speakers’ English) To provoke.
   • 1981 December 12, Michael Bronski, Frank Ripploh, “The Meter Is Still Running”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 21, page 8:

     The movie called It is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse But the Society In Which He Lives was a provocating movie. It dramatized the situation and got hard reactions from the gays and the straights. But when you look at it now it is full of hate. And it was OK, in a way, to provocate, but it was not done with a lovely touch.

2. To call forth.
3. To challenge.

Related terms

• provocation
• provocator

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

provocate

1. inflection of provocare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

provocate f pl

1. feminine plural of provocato

Anagrams

• portavoce

Latin

Verb

prōvocāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of prōvocō

Spanish

Verb

provocate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of provocar combined with te