Word: call Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gels-der. Proto-Indo-European *golsos Proto-Germanic *kalzazder. Proto-Germanic *kalzōną Proto-West Germanic *kalʀōn Old English cealliander. Old English *callian Middle English callen English call From Middle English callen, from Old English ċeallian (“to call, shout”) and Old Norse kalla (“to call; shout; refer to as; name”); both from Proto-Germanic *kalzōną (“to call, shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *golH-so- (“voice, cry”), from *gel(H)- (“to vocalize, call, shout”). Cognates * Scots call, caw, ca (“to call, cry, shout”) * Dutch kallen (“to chat, talk”) * German Low German kallen (“to speak, talk”) * German kallen (“to call”) * Swedish kalla (“to call, refer to, beckon”) * Norwegian kalle (“to call, name”) * Danish kalde (“to call, name”) * Icelandic kalla (“to call, shout, name”) * Welsh galw (“to call, demand”) * Polish głos (“voice”) * Lithuanian gal̃sas (“echo”) * Russian голос (golos, “voice”) * Albanian gjuhë (“language, tongue”). Pronunciation: /kɔːl/, [kʰoɫ], /koːl/, /kɔl/, /kaːl/ 1. A cry or shout. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: He heard a call from the other side of the room. 2. The characteristic cry of a bird or other animal. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: That sound is the distinctive call of the cuckoo bird. 3. A beckoning or summoning. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I had to yield to the call of the wild. Example: Dependance is a perpetual call upon humanity, and a greater incitement to tenderness and pity, than any other motive whatsoever. 4. A telephone conversation; a phone call. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I received several phone calls today. Example: I received several calls today. 5. An instance of calling someone on the telephone. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I made a call to Jim, but he didn’t answer. 6. A short visit, usually for social purposes. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I paid a call to a dear friend of mine. Example: He [...] ſeldom waits, / Dependent on the baker's punctual call, / To hear his creaking panniers at the door, / Angry and ſad and his laſt cruſt conſumed. 7. A visit by a ship or boat to a port. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The ship made a call at Southampton. 8. A decision or judgement. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: That was a good call. Example: Fair call actually, because don't the girls blow up when you miss an anniversary? 9. The right to speak at a given time during a debate or other public event; the floor. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The Prime Minister has the call. Example: I give the call to the Manager of Opposition Business. 10. Ellipsis of call option. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable 11. The act of calling to the other batsman. Labels: countable, uncountable 12. The state of being the batsman whose role it is to call (depends on where the ball goes.) Labels: countable, uncountable 13. A work shift which requires one to be available when requested, i.e. on call. Labels: uncountable Example: page 48: “Mondays would be great, especially after a weekend of call.” page 56: “[…] I’ve got call tonight, and all weekend, but I’ll be off tomorrow to help you some.” Example: I took general-surgery call at Bossier Medical Center and asked special permission to take general-medical call, which was gladly given away by the older staff members: […]. You would be surprised at how many surgical cases came out of medical call. 14. The act of jumping to a subprogram, saving the means to return to the original point. Labels: countable, uncountable 15. A statement of a particular state, or rule, made in many games such as bridge, craps, jacks, and so on. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: There was a 20 dollar bet on the table, and my call was 9. 16. The act of matching a bet made by a player who has previously bet in the same round of betting. Labels: countable, uncountable 17. A note blown on the horn to encourage the dogs in a hunt. Labels: countable, uncountable 18. A whistle or pipe, used by the boatswain and his mate to summon the sailors to duty. Labels: countable, uncountable 19. A pipe or other instrument to call birds or animals by imitating their note or cry. A game call. Labels: countable, uncountable 20. An invitation to take charge of or serve a church as its pastor. Labels: countable, uncountable 21. Vocation; employment; calling. Labels: archaic, countable, uncountable 22. A reference to, or statement of, an object, course, distance, or other matter of description in a survey or grant requiring or calling for a corresponding object, etc., on the land. Labels: US, countable, uncountable 23. A meeting with a client for paid sex; hookup; job. Labels: countable, informal, slang, uncountable Example: "They have a little network of women that watch out for each other," Morford said. That means that if one prostitute doesn't come back after going out on a call – whether it's an Internet prostitute or a streetwalker – and the other women can't get hold of her, they get scared, close up shop and won't work, Morford said. 24. A lawyer who was called to the bar (became licensed as a lawyer) in a specified year. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The work was done by two lawyers, one a 1983 call and the other a 2010 call. 25. Need; necessity. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: There's no call for that kind of bad language! Example: CALL 2 need for. "There worn't noa call for nowt o't'soart."