Word of the Day

: January 11, 2020

convoke

verb kun-VOHK

What It Means

: to call together to a meeting

convoke in Context

"The gloves were off now, and to mobilize every possible moral and military advantage, the pope convoked a general church Council in Rome for 1241." — Adrian House, Francis of Assisi, 2000

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently convoked a committee charged with proposing new standards for particle pollution, and two experts recommended a more careful look at exposure to harvest dust." — Garth Stapley, The Modesto (California) Bee, 10 Sept. 2016

Did You Know?

The Latin noun vox ("voice") and verb vocare ("to call") have given rise to many English words,  including convoke. Other English descendants of those roots are usually spelled with voc and have to do with speaking or calling. Thus, a vocation is a special calling to a type of work; an evocative sight or smell calls forth memories and feelings; and a vocal ensemble is a singing group. Provoke, irrevocable, equivocate, and vociferous are a few of the other descendants of vox and vocare. The related noun convocation refers to a group of people who have been called together.