ETYM French provocation, Latin provocatio. Related to Provoke.
Needed encouragement; SYN. incitement.
In law, the partial defense that the accused carried out a murder in the heat of anger after being provoked to lose their self-control. Such a defense, if successful, reduces the charge in English law to manslaughter. However, the defense has been criticized as an acceptance of male violence (since the provoked is usually male) and also as justifying an outmoded desire for retaliation that is inappropriate in modern society.