Invocation
/ˌɪn.vəˈkeɪ.ʃən/noun
The act of calling on a deity, spirit, or higher power, or the opening appeal in a speech or prayer.
Did you know?Invocation comes from Latin *invocatio*, the formal act of summoning aid, and in Roman religious life it could be used as a technical term for calling a god into a ritual space.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wekw-
“to speak; to call”
Latin
Latin
vocāre
“to call, summon, invite”
Latin
Latin
invocāre
“to call on, appeal to, invoke”
Late Latin
Latin
invocātiō
“a calling on, an appeal, an invocation”
Middle English
English
invocacioun
“the act of calling upon a deity or spiritual power”
Modern English
English
invocation
“a formal calling upon a deity, spirit, or authority, or an opening appeal”