Call | Webster's Dictionary (1865)

Call, v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. & p. p. called; p. pr. & vb. n. calling.] [Icel. & Sw. kalla, Dan. kalde, Lat. calare, Gr. καλεῖν, κέλεσθαι, D. kallen, to talk, prate.]

Sense 1. To invite or command to come or be present.

Call hither Clifford; bid him come amain. Shak.

Sense 2. To summon by a particular name; hence, to give a name to, or to name.

If you would but call me Rosalind. Shak.

Sense 3. To name or designate, as for an office, duty, or employment.

Paul, called to be an apostle. Rom. i. 1.

Sense 4. To utter in a loud voice; to proclaim.

No parish clerk who calls the psalm so clear. Gay.

Sense 5. (Amer. Land Law.) To require, as objects, courses, or distances, to answer or correspond with a description in a survey, or grant, of land.

To call a party, to cry aloud his name in open court, and command him to come in and perform some duty requiring his presence at the time on pain of what may befall him.—To call back, to revoke or retract; to recall; to summon back.—To call for, to demand or require; as, a crime calls for punishment.—To call forth, to bring or summon to action; as, to call forth all the faculties of the mind.—To call in, to collect; as, to call in debts or money, or to withdraw from circulation; as, to call in uncurrent coin; to summon together; to invite to come together; as, to call in neighbors or friends.—To call off, to summon away; to divert; as, to call off the attention; to call off workmen from their employment.—To call out, to summon to fight; to challenge; to summon into service; as, to call out the militia.—To call over, to recite separate particulars in order, as a roll of names.—To call up, to bring into view or recollection; as, to call up the image of a deceased friend; to bring into action or discussion; as, to call up a bill before a legislative body.—To call to mind, to recollect; to revive in memory.

Synonyms—To name; denominate; invite; bid; summon; convoke; assemble; collect; exhort; warn; proclaim; invoke; appeal to; appoint; designate.—To CALL, CONVOKE, SUMMON. Call is the generic term; as, to call a public meeting. To convoke is to require the assembling of some organized body of men by an act of authority; as, the king convoked parliament. To summon is to require attendance by an act of stringent authority; as, to summon a witness.

Now call we our high court of parliament. Shak.

When next the morning warms the purple east, Convoke the peerage. Pope.

Love, duty, safety summon us away; 'Tis nature's voice, and nature we obey. Pope.

Call, v. i.

verbintransitive

v. i. 1. To speak in a loud voice; to cry out; to address by name;—sometimes with to.

“You must call to the nurse.” Shak.

The angel of God called to Hagar. Gen. xxi. 17.

Sense 2. To make a brief stay or visit.

He ordered her to call at his house once a week. Temple.

To call on, or upon, to make a short visit to; also, to solicit payment, or make a demand of a debt. In a religious sense, to invoke or pray to.

Call, n.

noun

n. 1. A vocal address, of summons or invitation. “Upon this call of the trumpet.” Shak. I rose as at thy call, but found thee not. Milton.

Sense 2. A public claim or demand; a requisition; an invitation. Dependence is a perpetual call upon humanity. Addison.

Sense 3. A divine vocation or summons that is, or seems, supernatural. Remembering Abraham, by some wondrous call May bring them back repentant and sincere. Milton. St. Paul himself believed that he did well, and had a call to it, when he persecuted the Christians. Locke.

Sense 4. Vocation; employment. [In this sense, calling is generally used.]

Sense 5. A short visit; as, to make a call; to give one a call.

Sense 6. (Hunting.) A note blown on the horn to encourage the hounds.

Sense 7. (Naut.) A whistle or pipe, used by the boatswain and his mate, to summon the sailors to duty.

Sense 8. (Fowling.) A noise or cry in imitation of a bird, or a pipe to call birds by imitating their voice.

Sense 9. (Amer. Land Law.) An object, course, distance, or other matter of description in a survey or grant requiring or calling for a corresponding object, &c., on the land.