The act of advocating for or supporting a cause, person, or idea; the practice of speaking in favor of something.
From Latin advocatio, meaning the act of calling to one's aid or defense. It derives from advocatus, combining ad- (to) and vocare (to call). The word entered English in the 15th century to describe the profession or practice of a lawyer, then broadened to mean any support or argument.
Advocation is less common than advocacy today, but it survived in legal contexts where advocates still actively practice 'advocation'—this split shows how the same Latin root sometimes splits into multiple English words with slightly different technical meanings.
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