Call hither Clifford; bid him come amain --Shak.
2. To summon to the discharge of a particular duty; to
designate for an office, or employment, especially of a
religious character; -- often used of a divine summons;
as, to be called to the ministry; sometimes, to invite;
as, to call a minister to be the pastor of a church.
Paul . . . called to be an apostle --Rom. i. 1.
The Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul
for the work whereunto I have called them. --Acts
xiii. 2.
3. To invite or command to meet; to convoke; -- often with
together; as, the President called Congress together; to
appoint and summon; as, to call a meeting of the Board of
Aldermen.
Now call we our high court of Parliament. --Shak.
4. To give name to; to name; to address, or speak of, by a
specifed name.
If you would but call me Rosalind. --Shak.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he
called Night. --Gen. i. 5.
5. To regard or characterize as of a certain kind; to
denominate; to designate.
What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
--Acts x. 15.
6. To state, or estimate, approximately or loosely; to
characterize without strict regard to fact; as, they call
the distance ten miles; he called it a full day's work.
[The] army is called seven hundred thousand men.
--Brougham.
7. To show or disclose the class, character, or nationality
of. [Obs.]
This speech calls him Spaniard. --Beau. & Fl.
8. To utter in a loud or distinct voice; -- often with off;
as, to call, or call off, the items of an account; to call
the roll of a military company.
No parish clerk who calls the psalm so clear. --Gay.
I call God for a witness. --2 Cor. i. 23
[Rev. Ver. ]
10. To rouse from sleep; to awaken.
If thou canst awake by four o' the clock. I prithee
call me. Sleep hath seized me wholly. --Shak.
{To call a bond}, to give notice that the amount of the bond
will be paid.
{To call a party} (Law), 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 down}, to pray for, as blessing or curses.
{To call forth}, to bring or summon to action; as, to call
forth all the faculties of the mind.
{To call in},
(a) To collect; as, to call in debts or money; ar to
withdraw from cirulation; as, to call in uncurrent
coin.
(b) To summon to one's side; to invite to come together;
as, to call in neighbors.
{To call (any one) names}, to apply contemptuous names (to
any one).
{To call off}, to summon away; to divert; as, to call off the
attention; to call off workmen from their employment.
{To call out}.
(a) To summon to fight; to challenge.
(b) 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 to account}, to demand explanation of.
{To call to mind}, to recollect; to revive in memory.
{To call to order}, to request to come to order; as:
(a) A public meeting, when opening it for business.
(b) A person, when he is transgressing the rules of
debate.
{To call to the bar}, to admit to practice in courts of law.
{To call up}.
(a) To bring into view or recollection; as to call up the
image of deceased friend.
(b) To bring into action or discussion; to demand the
consideration of; as, to call up a bill before a
legislative body.
Syn: To name; denominate; invite; bid; summon; convoke;
assemble; collect; exhort; warn; proclaim; invoke;
appeal to; designate.
Usage: {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 more or less stringent anthority; as, to summon a
witness.