Translation
to provoke, to goad; to stir up
Word origin
From Latin incitare, 'to set in rapid motion, to urge on', from in- 'onto' plus citare, the frequentative of ciere 'to set moving'. The Latin verb was used of driving horses forward before it was used of driving people.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- incitare
- English cognates
- incite, excite, cite
Examples
.
Do not provoke the dog while it is eating.
.
His words stirred up the people in the hall.
.
The boy goaded his brother until he cried.
A false seam that a good Esperantist will spot and a good Esperantist should distrust. looks like in- plus (to quote), and the Latin behind it really does contain citare, the same verb that gives citi. But Esperanto has no prefix in-. The -in- that exists is a suffix, and it marks the feminine: father, mother. Reading as a build gets you nowhere, and reading the in as feminine gets you somewhere absurd. It is one root, incit-, and it is learned whole.
On sense: is deliberate. You provoke a dog, a crowd, a sibling - there is an agent enjoying it, or at least intending it. Compare ĝeni, which is to bother or inconvenience and can be entirely accidental, and instigi, which is to urge someone towards an action you want. is the middle case: stirring somebody up for its own sake. The adjective a describes the person who cannot leave a wasps' nest alone.
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inciti: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "inciti" (to provoke, to goad; to stir up): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 38.