invocation

Definitions

The action of appealing to someone or something, especially an authority or a deity, for assistance or as an authority for a course of action.

A formal petition or request for help, support, or inspiration, often used at the beginning of a ceremony or literary work.

The act of summoning a spirit or supernatural entity through a ritual or incantation.

Examples

The priest began the ceremony with a solemn invocation to the gods for protection.

The programmer's invocation of the function caused the entire system to crash unexpectedly.

Her invocation of the company's policy was enough to settle the dispute between the two departments.

Synonyms

appeal entreaty petition supplication prayer conjuration summons

Antonyms

abjuration renunciation retraction revocation repudiation denial refusal