gatilho

Gatilho is a Portuguese noun meaning trigger. The primary sense is the lever or catch on a firearm or on a mechanical device that, when pressed or pulled, releases a mechanism and initiates a shot or action. The term also generalizes to any device or condition that starts an event or process.

In technology and engineering, gatilho is used to describe triggers that start workflows, scripts, or automatic responses. In computing, a database trigger (gatilho de banco de dados) is a program that runs in response to insert, update, or delete operations on a table.

In everyday language, gatilho is used metaphorically to designate stimuli that provoke a reaction. In psychology and mental health, an emotional trigger (gatilho emocional) is a stimulus—such as a memory, image, or situation—that can provoke distress, anxiety, or flashbacks, especially for people with trauma histories.

In Brazilian Portuguese, gatilho is common in media and discussions about behavior and influence, including expressions like gatilhos mentais (mental triggers) used in marketing and communication. The word also appears in phrases like puxar o gatilho (pull the trigger) or acionar o gatilho (activate the trigger).