The story
- French · borrowed fromagent provocateur
- English todayagent provocateur
Borrowed from French agent provocateur (literally “provocative agent”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: A person who secretly disrupts a group's activities from within the group, particularly by encouraging or committing illegal acts to discredit the group or expose them to prosecution; an instigator, troublemaker. Full definition →
Borrowed from French agent provocateur (literally “provocative agent”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.