Invocatory

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Of or pertaining to the act of calling upon someone or something, especially in prayer or appeal
2. Used to invoke or summon, as in a manner that entreats or appeals for assistance or blessing
3. Characteristic of language or ritual designed to call upon or beseech a deity, power, or person

Etymology: "Invocatory" is a formal adjective meaning relating to invocation, the act of calling upon a god, spirit, or higher power for help or presence. It was borrowed from Latin "invocare," meaning "to call upon" or "to call in," built from "in-" ("into" or "upon") and "vocare" ("to call"), the same root that gives English "vocal" and "vocation." The English form combines this Latin base with the suffix "-ory," which marks something as serving a particular function, as in "compulsory" or "promissory." The word's pathway runs through French, where a parallel form "invocatoire" exists, so English likely adopted the term through that route alongside its Latin source. Its shape is therefore a Latin verb turned into an adjective with an English-Latin suffix, the kind of technical formation scholars and writers have long used when they need a precise word for a ritual or prayerful gesture.

Synonyms: invocative