ˌinvəˈkāshən, -vōˈ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English invocacioun, from Middle French invocation, from Latin invocation-, invocatio, from invocatus (past participle of invocare to invoke) + -ion-, -io -ion
1.
a. : the action or an act of petitioning for help or support : supplication , appeal
invocation to the Muses
specifically often capitalized : a prayer of entreaty that is usually a call for the divine presence and is offered at the beginning of a meeting or service of worship
b. : a summoning up or calling upon for authority or justification
invocation of economic reasons … to justify postponement of wage increases — Frank Gorrell
invocation of a celebrated piece of advice attributed to Talleyrand — Times Literary Supplement
2.
a. : an act of conjuring
invocation of an ancestral spirit
b. : a formula for conjuring : incantation
invocations … to bring harm to mother or child — Francis Hackett
3.
a. : a judicial call for papers or evidence from another case — used chiefly in admiralty prize procedure
b. : an act of legal or moral implementation : enforcement
invocation of treaty provisions
• in·vo·ca·tion·al | ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷shən ə l, -shnəl adjective