provoking (adj.)

1520s, "that incites or instigates," present-participle adjective from provoke. Meaning "irritating, frustrating, having the power or quality of exciting resentment" is attested from 1640s. Related: Provokingly.

also from 1520s

Entries linking to provoking

provoke (v.)

late 14c., provoken, in medicine, "to induce" (sleep, vomiting, etc.), "to stimulate" (appetite), from Old French provoker, provochier (12c., Modern French provoquer) and directly from Latin provocare "call forth, challenge," from pro "forth" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward") + vocare "to call," which is related to vox (genitive vocis) "voice" (from PIE root *wekw- "to speak"). Related: Provoked; provoking. The general sense of "urge, incite, stimulate to action" is from c. 1400.

Trends of provoking

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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Humpty-dumpty

'It's very provoking,' Humpty Dumpty said, ... 'to be called an egg — very!' ["Through the Looking-Glass," 1872]...

commode

I wash'd and patch'd, to make me look provoking, Snares that they told me wou'd catch the men; And...

lure

early 14c., "something which allures or entices, an attraction" (a figurative use), originally the name of a device for recalling a hawk, from Anglo-French lure, Old French loirre "device used to recall hawks, lure," from Frankish *lothr or some other Germanic source, from Proto-

rule

c. 1200, "principle or maxim governing conduct, formula to which conduct must be conformed" from Old French riule, Norman reule "rule, custom, (religious) order" (in Modern French partially re-Latinized as règle), from Vulgar Latin *regula, from Latin regula "straight stick, bar,

pick

early 13c., picken "to peck;" c. 1300, piken "to work with a pick, to dig up," probably representing a fusion of Old English *pician "to prick," (implied by picung "a piercing, pricking," an 8c. gloss on Latin stigmata) with Old Norse pikka "to prick, peck," both from a Germanic

agitate

1580s, "to disturb," from Latin agitatus, past participle of agitare "to put in constant or violent motion, drive onward, impel," frequentative of agere "to set in motion, drive, drive forward," figuratively "incite to action; keep in movement, stir up" (from PIE root *ag- "to dr

spite

c. 1300, "feeling or attitude of contempt, insolent disdain;" also "a humiliation, act of insult or ridicule; a shortened form of despit "malice" (see despite (n.)). Corresponding to Middle Dutch spijt, Middle Low German spyt, Middle Swedish spit. In 17c. commonly spelled spight.

kindle

c. 1200, cundel, "to set fire to, to start on fire," probably from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse kynda "to kindle, to light a fire," Swedish quindla "kindle," all of uncertain origin, + frequentative suffix -le. Figurative use (of feelings, passions, etc.) is from c. 13

annoy

late 13c., anoien, annuien, "to harm, hurt, injure; be troublesome or vexatious to, disquiet, upset," from Anglo-French anuier, Old French enoiier "to weary, vex, anger," anuier "be troublesome or irksome to;" according to French sources these are from Late Latin inodiare "make l

evoke

"to call or summon forth or out," 1620s, from French évoquer or directly from Latin evocare "call out, rouse, summon," from assimilated form of ex "out" (see ex-) + vocare "to call," which is related to vox (genitive vocis) "voice" (from PIE root *wekw- "to speak"). Often more or

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updated on December 28, 2020

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Dictionary entries near provoking

provocate

provocateur

provocation

provocative

provoke

provoking

provolone

provost

prow

prowess

prowl