different between provocateur vs provoke

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French provocateur. Doublet of provocator.

Noun

provocateur (plural provocateurs)

1. One who engages in provocative behavior.
2. An undercover agent who incites suspected persons to partake in or commit criminal acts.

Hyponyms

• provocateuse (female)

Translations

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin provocator. See provoquer, -ateur.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p??.v?.ka.tœ?/

Adjective

provocateur (feminine singular provocatrice, masculine plural provocateurs, feminine plural provocatrices)

1. provocative, inflammatory

   Synonym: provocant

Derived terms

Noun

provocateur m (plural provocateurs, feminine provocatrice)

1. provocateur, provoker; one who provokes

Related terms

• provoquer

Further reading

• “provocateur” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French provoquer, from Old French, from Latin pr?voc?re. Doublet of provocate.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /p???v??k/
• (US) IPA^(key): /p???vo?k/
• Rhymes: -??k

Verb

provoke (third-person singular simple present provokes, present participle provoking, simple past and past participle provoked)

1. (transitive) To cause someone to become annoyed or angry.
   • Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath.

2. (transitive) To bring about a reaction.
   • 1881, John Burroughs, Pepacton

     To the poet the meaning is what he pleases to make it, what it provokes in his own soul.
3. (obsolete) To appeal.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (bring about a reaction): bring about, discompose, egg on, engender, evoke, grill, incite, induce, inflame, instigate, invoke, rouse, set off, stir up, whip up; see also Thesaurus:incite

Derived terms

• provocation
• provocative

Related terms

• evoke
• invoke
• provocateur
• revoke

Translations