evoke

[ ih-vohk ]

verb (used with object)

, e·voked, e·vok·ing.

1. to call up or produce (memories, feelings, etc.):

   to evoke a memory.

2. to elicit or draw forth:

   His comment evoked protests from the shocked listeners.

3. to call up; cause to appear; summon:

   to evoke a spirit from the dead.

4. to produce or suggest through artistry and imagination a vivid impression of reality:

   a short passage that manages to evoke the smells, colors, sounds, and shapes of that metropolis.

evoke

/ ˈɛvəkəbəl; ɪˈvəʊk /

verb

1. to call or summon up (a memory, feeling, etc), esp from the past
2. to call forth or provoke; produce; elicit

   his words evoked an angry reply

3. to cause (spirits) to appear; conjure up

Usage

See evince invoke

Derived Forms

• evocable, adjective
• eˈvoker, noun

Other Words From

• e·voker noun
• une·voked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of evoke¹

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin ēvocāre, from ē- e- ¹ + vocāre “to call” (akin to vōx voice )

Word History and Origins

Origin of evoke¹

C17: from Latin ēvocāre to call forth, from vocāre to call

Example Sentences

While in the Old City of Jerusalem, the scents of leather, spices and livestock fuse into a fragrance that evokes thousands of years of history.

From BBC

The experience evokes a romantic dinner party in a private country house from another era.

From Salon

Standing next to a blank canvas on a set that evokes of an artist’s studio, Artemisia talks to us about the art of composition before taking us back in time to her youth.

From New York Times

This personalized touch evokes a sense of home.

From Los Angeles Times

To understand why the heroic gladiatrix is hardly a whisper in historical texts while the gladiator fills pages, you might consider the controversy these breasts evoked.

From Salon

Related Words

• arouse
• conjure
• elicit
• invoke
• provoke
• recall