This is the 10519th most frequent Catalan word.
provocaven
"Provocaven" means "they caused" or "they provoked."
The word 'provocaven' is used here to describe an ongoing past action where strong winds were the cause of large waves forming in the sea.
Els vents forts provocaven grans onades al mar.
The strong winds caused large waves in the sea.
In this sentence, 'provocaven' refers to the action of generating tension continuously or repeatedly by someone's unpleasant words in the environment.
Les seves paraules desagradables provocaven tensió en l'ambient.
Their unpleasant words caused tension in the atmosphere.
Here, 'provocaven' conveys the idea of the government's actions continuously leading to public protests as a reaction.