casus belli

[ key-suhs bel-ahy, bel-ee; Latin kah-soos bel-lee ]

/ ˈkeɪ səs ˈbɛl aɪ, ˈbɛl i; Latin ˈkɑ sʊs ˈbɛl li /

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See synonyms for casus belli on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural ca·sus bel·li

[key-suhs 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.

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Origin of casus belli

1840–50; <New Latin: literally, occurrence of war

Words nearby casus belli

casualwear, casuarina, casuist, casuistic, casuistry, casus belli, cat, cata-, catabaptist, catabasis, catabiotic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use casus belli in a sentence

“I saw the movie; I thought she was great,” says Belli, who won a student Emmy for his musical about zombies, Zombo.
Inside the Anne Hathaway ‘Les Misérables’ Video Spoof That Went Viral|Ramin Setoodeh|January 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Belli culled numerous interviews Hathaway gave about preparing for Les Miz.
Inside the Anne Hathaway ‘Les Misérables’ Video Spoof That Went Viral|Ramin Setoodeh|January 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Penis rudimentarius causa impotentiae est, sed casus amplificationis post matrimonium habentur.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
Kraft-Ebing enumerat decem casus congenitos in maribus, et duos in feminis.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley

Unfortunately we had no casus belli against Spain, and could not found one on secret information.
The Political History of England - Vol. X.|William Hunt
Here, as I have said, was the real casus belli,—a constant irritation that had at length got past bearing.
The Colonel of the Red Huzzars|John Reed Scott
The Porte was persuaded not to regard the invasion of the Danube principalities as a casus belli.
A History of the Nineteenth Century, Year by Year|Edwin Emerson

British Dictionary definitions for casus belli

casus belli

/ Latin (ˈkɑːsʊs ˈbɛliː) /

noun plural casus belli (ˈkɑːsʊs ˈbɛliː)

an event or act used to justify a war

the immediate cause of a quarrel

Word Origin for casus belli

literally: occasion of war

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

casus belli

Origin of casus belli

Words nearby casus belli

Words related to casus belli

How to use casus belli in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for casus belli

Word Origin for casus belli