instigation
noun/ˌɪnstɪˈɡeɪʃən/
Etymology From Middle English instigacioun, from Old French instigacïon and Latin instīgātio.
1
The act of instigating, or the state of being instigated; incitement; especially to evil or wickedness.
- The departure was not unduly prolonged.[…]Within the door Mrs. Spoker hastily imparted to Mrs. Love a few final sentiments on the subject of Divine Intention in the disposition of buckets; farewells and last commiserations; a deep, guttural instigation to the horse; and the wheels of the waggonette crunched heavily away into obscurity.1921, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
- Related terms
- instigate, instigator