casus belli
noun/ˌkeɪsəs ˈbelaɪ/, /ˌkɑːsʊs ˈbeliː/
/ˌkeɪsəs ˈbelaɪ/, /ˌkɑːsʊs ˈbeliː/
(plural casus belli)
(formal)- an act or situation that is used to justify a warWord OriginLatin, from casus ‘fall’ and belli, genitive of bellum ‘war’.
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casus belli