To call together or summon people for a meeting, assembly, or gathering.
From Latin convocare, combining con- (together) and vocare (to call, related to voice). The term entered English in the 16th century and has been used primarily in formal contexts to describe official summonses to assemblies.
The word 'convoke' literally means to 'call together with one voice'—so when a king convoked Parliament, they were using the power of that royal voice to gather people across the kingdom. It's the ancestor of modern terms like 'invoke' and 'revoke,' all sharing the 'vocare' root about calling.
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