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Origin and history of vocation

vocation(n.)

early 15c., vocacioun, "spiritual calling, summons, urging" to a specific activity, from Old French vocacion "call, consecration; calling, profession" (13c.) or directly from Latin vocationem (nominative vocatio), literally "a calling, a being called" from vocatus "called," past participle of vocare "to call," which is related to vox (genitive vocis) "voice" (from PIE root *wekw- "to speak").

The sense of "one's employment, occupation" is attested by 1550s, including both mechanical and professional.

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to vocation

vocational(adj.)

"pertaining to or relating to a vocation," 1650s, from vocation + -al (1). Related: Vocationally.

*wekw-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to speak."

It might form all or part of: advocate; avocation; calliope; convocation; epic; equivocal; equivocation; evoke; invoke; provoke; revoke; univocal; vocabulary; vocal; vocation; vocative; vociferate; vociferous; voice; vouch; vox; vowel.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit vakti "speaks, says," vacas- "word;" Avestan vac- "speak, say;" Greek eipon (aorist) "spoke, said," epos "word;" Latin vocare "to call," vox "voice, sound, utterance, language, word;" Old Prussian wackis "cry;" German er-wähnen "to mention."

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    More to explore

    career
    1530s, "a running (usually at full speed), a course" (especially of the sun, etc., across the sky), from French carriere "road, racecourse" (16c.), from Old Provençal or Italian carriera, from Vulgar Latin *(via) cararia "carriage (road), track for wheeled vehicles," from Latin c
    avocation
    Commonly, but improperly, "one's regular business, vocation" (1660s)....But yield who will to their separation, My object in living is to unite My avocation and my vocation As my two eyes...
    notary
    c. 1300, notarie, "a clerk, a personal secretary; person whose vocation was making notes or memoranda of the acts of others...
    dedicated
    Of persons, "devoted to one's aims or vocation," attested clearly by 1936, but the sense shift can be felt in Lincoln's Gettysburg...
    slander
    involving moral turpitude, or the breach of some public trust, or with any matter in relation to his particular trade or vocation...
    profession
    affairs, as distinguished from mere study or investigation; and an application of such knowledge to uses for others as a vocation...
    treason
    self-compromised integrity of intellectuals, betrayal or corruption by academics, moralists, journalists, etc., of their vocation...
    body
    Middle English bodi, from Old English bodig "trunk of a man or beast; the whole physical structure of a human or animal; material frame, material existence of a human; main or principal part of anything," related to Old High German botah, but otherwise of unknown origin. Not else
    speciality
    early 15c., "a distinctive quality or thing;" mid-15c. as "quality of being special," from Old French specialte, especialte "nature, special quality, particularity; special point, distinction," and directly from Latin specialitatem (nominative specialitas) "peculiarity, particula
    occupation
    early 14c., "fact of holding or possessing;" mid-14c., "a being employed in something," also "a particular action," from Old French occupacion "pursuit, work, employment; occupancy, occupation" (12c.), from Latin occupationem (nominative occupatio) "a taking possession; business,

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