casus belli Hear it!

casus belli definition

ca·sus belli (kā′səs bel′ī′)

an event provoking war or used as a pretext for making war

Etymology: L, an occurrence of war

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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