invocation

American  

[in-vuh-key-shuhn] / ˌɪn vəˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of invoking or calling upon a deity, spirit, etc., for aid, protection, inspiration, or the like; supplication.

2. any petitioning or supplication for help or aid.

3. a form of prayer invoking God's presence, especially one said at the beginning of a religious service or public ceremony.

4. an entreaty for aid and guidance from a Muse, deity, etc., at the beginning of an epic or epiclike poem.

5. the act of calling upon a spirit by incantation.

6. the magic formula used to conjure up a spirit; incantation.

7. the act of calling upon or referring to something, as a concept or document, for support and justification in a particular circumstance.

8. the enforcing or use of a legal or moral precept or right.

---

invocation British  

/ ˌɪnvəˈkeɪʃən, -trɪ, ɪnˈvɒkətərɪ /

noun

1. the act of invoking or calling upon some agent for assistance

2. a prayer asking God for help, forgiveness, etc, esp as part of a religious service

3. an appeal for inspiration and guidance from a Muse or deity at the beginning of a poem

4. 1. the act of summoning a spirit or demon from another world by ritual incantation or magic

   2. the incantation used in this act

---

Other Word Forms

• invocational
  adjective
• invocatory
  adjective
• preinvocation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of invocation

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English invocacio(u)n, from Latin invocātiōn-, stem of invocātiō “a calling upon”; see invocate, -ion

Explanation

An invocation is an appeal to a higher power for help, such as a prayer for serenity or a plea to the rain gods during a drought. An invocation often refers to an appeal to something not of this world, such as a god or a spirit, but it can involve an appeal to any higher power, even one that is flesh and blood. During a close basketball game, for example, you may mutter an invocation to the former NBA star Michael Jordan asking that your team’s star player somehow gain the power to hit his jump shots. The word invocation can also be used in the sense of invoking a notable authority to support a position. If you say, “But my mom said I should never wear cheap clothing,” for example, that is an invocation of your mom in support of your desire to buy designer jeans.

Example Sentences

Invocation after invocation of what girls "should" do, without any understanding of what's keeping them from these goals.

From Salon • May 29, 2023

Kholodenko ended where others would have begun, with the Invocation that opens Liszt’s series called “Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2016

Invocation of the rule could lead to bizarre spectacles, as the rule bars senators from "divulging the information with respect to which the vote is being taken."

From The Guardian • Jul. 28, 2014

The Best Invocation of a Kennedy: Biden played the Kennedy card: “Oh, now you're Jack Kennedy.”

From Slate • Oct. 12, 2012

It was his own, strange "Invocation to Death" to which his half-numbed fingers turned.

From The Genius by Potter, Margaret Horton