Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

prō-vŏco, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. and n., to call forth, call out.

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen. (very rare): aliquem, Plaut. Ps. 2, 2, 43: ut ubi illaec prodeat, me provoces, id. Mil. 4, 3, 28; id. Bacch. 3, 3, 40: mandant, ut ad se provocet Simonidem, Phaedr. 4, 23, 25: dum rota Luciferi provocet orta diem, lead up, call forth, Tib. 1, 9, 62: Memnonis mater roseo provocet ore diem, Ov. P. 1, 4, 58; cf. id. F. 1, 456: provocare et elicere novas radiculas, Col. 3, 15, 5.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. To call out, challenge, invite one to any thing (as to play, sing, drink, fight, etc.): provocat me in aleam, challenged me to a game, Plaut. Curc. 2, 3, 75: pedibus, to a race, id. Ep. 5, 1, 58: aliquem tesseris, Macr. S. 1, 10: aliquem cantatum, Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 53: aliquem ad pugnam, Cic. Tusc. 4, 22, 49; cf. Liv. 8, 7, and Flor. 2, 17, 11 Duker: duces nec prohibere paucos temere provocantis volebant, nec, etc., Liv. 23, 16, 4: et oleo et mero viros provocant, Sen. Ep. 95, 21: aliquem ad bibendum, Vop. Firm. 4.
      2. 2. In jurid. lang., to take a cause before a higher court, to appeal, make an appeal; in this signif. usually neutr., ad aliquem; act. only post-class., with the judge to whom the appeal is made as object (cf. appello).
          1. (α) Neutr.: ut de majestate damnati ad populum provocent, Cic. Phil. 1, 9, 21; cf.: quam id rectum sit, tu judicabis; ne ad Catonem quidem provocabo, id. Att. 6, 1, 7: provoco ad populum, Liv. 8, 33: arreptus a viatore, Provoco, inquit, I appeal, id. 3, 56: si a duumviris provocarit, provocatione certato, id. 1, 26, 6; 3, 56: ab omni judicio poenāque provocari licere, Cic. Rep. 2, 31, 54.
          2. (β) Act., to appeal to a judge (post-class.): si judicem provocent, Dig. 8, 28, 6: si praefectus urbi judicem dederit, ipse erit provocandus, qui eum judicem dederit, ib. 49, 3, 1.
            Also: provocare judicium ad populum, to bring the decision before the people by appeal, Val. Max. 8, 1, 1; rarely, aliquem ad judicem, to cite, summon before, App. Flor. p. 360, 24.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. To challenge to a contest, to contend with, emulate, rival, vie with (post-Aug.): aliquem virtute, to vie with him in virtue, Plin. Ep. 2, 7, 4: elegia Graecos provocamus, Quint. 10, 1, 93; cf.: ea pictura naturam ipsam provocavit, Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 94.
      Of things, Plin. 16, 8, 12, § 32: immensum latus Circi templorum pulchritudinem provocat, id. Pan. 51, 3.
    2. B. To challenge, incite, provoke to any thing: felicitas temporum, quae bonam conscientiam civium tuorum ad usum indulgentiae tuae provocat, Plin. Ep. 10, 12 (7) fin.: omni comitate ad hilaritatem et jocum provocare, Suet. Calig. 27; id. Claud. 21: tacentes ad communionem sermonis, id. Aug. 74.
    3. C. To excite, stimulate, exasperate, stir up, rouse with any thing (class.; syn.: irrito, lacesso): qui non solum a me provocatus sed etiam suā sponte solet, etc., Cic. Fam. 1, 7, 3: aliquem beneficio, id. Off. 1, 15, 48: sermonibus, Caes. B. C. 1, 74: minis et verbis, Tac. H. 3, 24: bello, id. ib. 4, 17: injuriā, id. A. 14, 49 et saep.: ad iracundiam, Vulg. Isa. 63, 10; id. Deut. 4, 25.
    4. D. To call forth, occasion, produce, cause: officia comitate, Tac. H. 5, 1: mortem tot modis, Plin. 19, praef. 1, § 5: bellum, Tac. G. 35; Plin. Pan. 16.
    5. E. (Acc. to I. B. 2.) To appeal to any thing, to cite as authority or proof (late Lat.): ad litteras Pudentillae, App. Mag. 84, p. 326, 40: ad Judaeorum Codices provocare, Aug. Serm. 202, 3.