What does convocate mean?
Convocate is a formal verb meaning to call people together, typically to form an assembly, council, or official gathering. It derives from the Latin convocare, formed from com- ('together') and vocare ('to call'), the same root that gives us convoke, convocation, invoke, and vocation. In practice, convocate is now rare: it flourished in older ecclesiastical, academic, and parliamentary writing, where it described the solemn act of summoning clergy, scholars, or representatives, but modern usage has settled on its close relative 'convoke' as well as the more familiar 'convene' and 'summon'. When it does appear, it carries a distinctly ceremonial tone, suggesting authority and deliberation rather than casual gathering. Its most visible living descendant is the noun 'convocation', which still names formal assemblies at universities and religious bodies — a reminder that the idea behind this old verb remains very much in use even where the word itself has faded.
verbTo call together or convene people formally; to summon an assembly.
- To call or summon people together formally, as to an assembly, council, or meeting.
"The chancellor convoked the faculty to discuss the proposed reforms."
"The bishop convoked a synod to settle the long-standing dispute."
"In earlier parliamentary usage, the monarch might convocate representatives from across the realm."
Convocate is the forgotten twin of 'convoke' — same Latin parent, same meaning, but only one of them survived into common use.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of convocate
Convocate comes from the Latin convocare, meaning 'to call together', built from the prefix com- ('with, together') and the verb vocare ('to call'). The word entered English in the early modern period, alongside related forms such as convoke, both describing the formal summoning of assemblies. It shares its root with a wide family of 'call' words, including invocation, provocation, and vocation. Over time convoke became the preferred verb, leaving convocate as a rarer, chiefly historical alternative.
Related word forms
How convocate is actually used
Convocate is rare and largely historical or archaic in modern English; writers today almost always use 'convene' or 'convoke' instead. It carries a formal, ceremonial register and appears mostly in ecclesiastical, academic, or parliamentary contexts.
Easily confused with convocate
Convoke is the standard modern verb for calling a formal assembly, while convocate is a rarer, largely archaic variant with the same meaning.