Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To say in a loud voice; announce.
  • intransitive verb To demand or ask for the presence of.
  • intransitive verb To demand or ask for a meeting of; convene or convoke.
  • intransitive verb To order or request to undertake a particular activity or work; summon.
  • intransitive verb To give the command for; order.
  • intransitive verb To communicate or try to communicate with by telephone.
  • intransitive verb To dial (a telephone number).
  • intransitive verb To lure (prey) by imitating the characteristic cry of an animal.
  • intransitive verb To cause to come to the mind or to attention.
  • intransitive verb To name.
  • intransitive verb To consider or regard as being of a particular type or kind; characterize.
  • intransitive verb To designate; label.
  • intransitive verb To demand payment of.
  • intransitive verb To require the presentation of (a bond) for redemption before maturity.
  • intransitive verb To force the sale of (a stock or commodity) by exercising a call option.
  • intransitive verb To stop or postpone (a game) because of bad weather, darkness, or other adverse conditions.
  • intransitive verb To declare in the capacity of an umpire or referee.
  • intransitive verb To indicate a decision in regard to.
  • intransitive verb To give the orders or signals for.
  • intransitive verb To describe the intended outcome of (one's billiard shot) before playing.
  • intransitive verb In poker, to place a bet equal to (the preceding bet or bettor).
  • intransitive verb To indicate or characterize accurately in advance; predict: synonym: predict.
  • intransitive verb To challenge the truthfulness or genuineness of.
  • intransitive verb To shout directions in rhythm for (a square dance).
  • intransitive verb To speak loudly; shout.
  • intransitive verb To utter a characteristic cry. Used of an animal.
  • intransitive verb To communicate or try to communicate with someone by telephone.
  • intransitive verb To pay a short visit.
  • intransitive verb Games In poker, to place a bet equal to the preceding bet.
  • noun A loud cry; a shout.
  • noun The characteristic cry of an animal.
  • noun A sound or an instrument made to imitate such a cry, used as a lure.
  • noun A telephone communication or connection.
  • noun Need or occasion.
  • noun Demand.
  • noun A claim on a person's time or life.
  • noun A short visit, especially one made as a formality or for business or professional purposes.
  • noun A summons or invitation.
  • noun A signal, such as that made by a horn or bell.
  • noun The sounding of a horn to encourage hounds during a hunt.
  • noun A strong inner urge or prompting; a vocation.
  • noun The strong attraction or appeal of a given activity or environment.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English callen, probably from Old Norse kalla; see gal- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English callen, from Old English ceallian ("to call, shout") and Old Norse kalla ("to call, shout"); both from Proto-Germanic *kalzōnan (“to call, shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *gal(o)s-, *glōs-, *golH-so- (“voice, cry”). Cognate with Scots call, caw, ca ("to call, cry, shout"), Dutch kallen ("to chat, talk"), German kallen ("to scream, talk loudly, talk too much"), Swedish kalla ("to call, refer to, beckon"), Norwegian kalle ("to call, name"), Icelandic kalla ("to call, shout, name"), Latin glōria ("fame, honour, glory"), Welsh galw ("to call, demand"), Polish głos ("voice"), Lithuanian gal̃sas ("echo"). More at glory.

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Examples

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  • recitation, prayer

    July 22, 2009