Nearby Words

avocation

[av-uh-key-shuhn] Example Sentences Origin

av·o·ca·tion

[av-uh-key-shuhn]
noun
1.
something a person does in addition to a principal occupation, especially for pleasure; hobby: Our doctor's avocation is painting.
2.
a person's regular occupation, calling, or vocation.
3.
Archaic. diversion or distraction.

Origin:
1520–30; < Latin āvocātiōn- (stem of āvocātiō) a calling away. See a-4, vocation

av·o·ca·tion·al, adjective
av·o·ca·tion·al·ly, adverb

1. avocation, vocation; 2. avocation, evocation.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Avocation is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Example Sentences
  • There is no industry, profession or avocation which does not rely on the internet to gather or distribute data, or both.
  • At the time, basketball was an avocation, not a vocation.
  • It may lead to a career, sources of some articles, or just an avocation.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
avocation (ˌævəˈkeɪʃən)
 
n
1.  formal a minor occupation undertaken as a diversion
2.  not standard a person's regular job or vocation
 
[C17: from Latin āvocātiō a calling away, diversion from, from āvocāre to distract, from vocāre to call]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

avocation
1520s, "a calling away from one's occupation," from L. avocationem (nom. avocatio) "a calling away," pp. of avocare, from ab- "off, away from" + vocare "to call" (see voice).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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