avocation

a hobby in addition to a principal occupation: The judge’s avocation is acting in little theater productions.; a person’s regular occupation or calling

Not to be confused with:

evocation – a calling forth: an evocation of earlier times

av·o·ca·tion

(ăv′ō-kā′shən)

An activity taken up in addition to one's regular work or profession, usually for enjoyment; a hobby.

[Latin āvocātiō, āvocātiōn-, diversion, from āvocātus, past participle of āvocāre, to call away : ā-, ab-, away; see ab-¹ + vocāre, to call; see wek^w- in Indo-European roots.]

av′o·ca′tion·al adj.

av′o·ca′tion·al·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

avocation

(ˌævəˈkeɪʃən)

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 and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

av•o•ca•tion

(ˌæv əˈkeɪ ʃən)

n.

1. something a person does in addition to a principal occupation, esp. for pleasure; hobby.

2. a person's regular occupation or calling; vocation.

3. Archaic. diversion or distraction.

[1520–30; < Latin āvocātiō distraction]

av`o•ca′tion•al, adj.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

avocation - an auxiliary activity

hobby, spare-time activity, by-line, pursuit, sideline

pastime, pursuit, interest - a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly); "sailing is her favorite pastime"; "his main pastime is gambling"; "he counts reading among his interests"; "they criticized the boy for his limited pursuits"

spelaeology, speleology - the pastime of exploring caves

Translations

avocation

[ˌævəʊˈkeɪʃən] N (frm) (= minor occupation) → diversión f, distracción f; (= employment) → vocación f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

avocation

n (form: = calling) → Berufung f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Such an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling did this avocation beget; that at last I was continually squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally; as much as to say, --Oh!

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The Brahmins maintain that in the almost endless sculptures of that immemorial pagoda, all the trades and pursuits, every conceivable avocation of man, were prefigured ages before any of them actually came into being.

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But though she could neither sleep nor rest in her bed, yet, having no avocation from it, she was found there by her father at his return from Allworthy's, which was not till past ten o'clock in the morning.

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It is impossible to keep the judges too distinct from every other avocation than that of expounding the laws.

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There were many breaks in his education, caused by the migratory habits of his tribe, but even when removed from his books his active brain continued to search out the mysteries of his fascinating avocation.

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Nor did he find Paris a whit less fertile field for his nocturnal avocation.

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"At any rate, my question had nothing to do with your other very interesting avocation. What I wanted to ask you was whether you could tell me anything about a compatriot of yours--a Mr.

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Also, to record that wherever I have been, in the smallest places equally with the largest, I have been received with unsurpassable politeness, delicacy, sweet temper, hospitality, consideration, and with unsurpassable respect for the privacy daily enforced upon me by the nature of my avocation here and the state of my health.

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HOLMCROFT--I snatch a few moments from my other avocations to thank you for your most interesting and delightful letter.

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The majority of the searchers had given up the quest and gone back to their daily avocations, saying that it was plain the children could never be found.

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Becky and the ladies parted with some alacrity, however, and our friend returned to London to commence those avocations with which we find her occupied when this chapter begins.

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In the house of the Working Man or respectable Tradesman -- where the wife is allowed to turn her back upon her husband, while pursuing her household avocations -- there are at least intervals of quiet, when the wife is neither seen nor heard, except for the humming sound of the continuous Peace-cry; but in the homes of the upper classes there is too often no peace.

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