provocare

provoke

verb proh-voh-KAH-reh Less Common

Origin: from Latin 'provocare', to call forth

Also means

cause

Usage Note

Provocare means both to provoke someone and, very commonly, to 'cause' or bring about an effect, as in provocare danni ('to cause damage'). Don't limit it to the emotional sense; in news Italian it usually just means 'to cause'. It is a regular -are verb.

Examples

"L'incidente ha provocato molti danni."

Natural Translation

The accident caused a lot of damage.

Literal Translation

The-accident has caused much damage.

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