casus belli
[key-suh s bel-ahy, bel-ee; Latin kah-soo s bel-lee]
noun, plural ca·sus bel·li [key-suh s bel-ahy, bel-ee; Latin kah-soos bel-lee] /ˈkeɪ səs ˈbɛl aɪ, ˈbɛl i; Latin ˈkɑ sus ˈbɛl li/.
an event or political occurrence that brings about a declaration of war.
Origin of casus belli
1840–50; < New Latin: literally, occurrence of war
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for casus belli
harassment, indignity, affront, insult, grievance, motivation, justification, annoyance, taunt, challenge, incentive, instigation, reason, dare, offense, injury, cause, vexation, inducement, groundscasus belli
noun plural casus belli (ˈkɑːsʊs ˈbɛliː)
Word Origin for casus belli
literally: occasion of war
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