vocation

[voh-key-shuhn]

noun

1. a particular occupation, business, or profession; calling.

   Synonyms: pursuit, employment

2. a strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career.

3. a divine call to God's service or to the Christian life.

4. a function or station in life to which one is called by God.

   the religious vocation; the vocation of marriage.

vocation

/ vəʊˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. a specified occupation, profession, or trade

2. 1. a special urge, inclination, or predisposition to a particular calling or career, esp a religious one

   2. such a calling or career

Word History and Origins

Origin of vocation¹

1400–50; late Middle English vocacio ( u ) n < Latin vocātiōn- (stem of vocātiō ) a call, summons, equivalent to vocāt ( us ) past participle of vocāre to call ( -ate ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of vocation¹

C15: from Latin vocātiō a calling, from vocāre to call

Example Sentences

Writing is her calling, her career, her vocation.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It points to the elder Gospodinov’s vocation in old age as well as to the book’s wider theme of regeneration.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

There are vocations filling traditional seminaries and religious communities in the U.S., loyal to Rome and to their local bishops.

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"They're a block on industrial strategy. It's full of - no disrespect to anybody in the room - PPE graduates who are really neoclassical. They don't understand the meaning of vocation and the meaning of work."

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District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong issued a temporary ban on “roving patrols” where agents nabbed people off Southern California streets based on their skin color, the language spoken, their vocation and where they are located.

Read more on Los Angeles Times