Vocation

 WORD OF THE DAY

vocation / noun / voh-KAY-shun

Definition
1a: a summons or strong inclination to a particular state or course of action
1b: a divine call to the religious life
1c: an entry into the priesthood or a religious order
2a: the work in which a person is employed
2b: occupation
2c: the persons engaged in a particular occupation
3: the special function of an individual or group

Examples
"The play, adapted by Eric Coble from a young adult novel by Lois Lowry, is set in the unnamed 'community' over which the committee presides. The leaders choose mandatory vocations for every citizen, come up with draconian rules, diligently enforce them (sometimes with capital punishment) and control natural human emotions with drugs."
— Betsie Freeman, The Omaha (Nebraska) World-Herald, 27 Apr. 2022

Speculation in cryptocurrencies and NFTs gives young investors the opportunity to make lots of money fast, a vocation as old as time that will remain popular until the lights go out in this world.
— Lawrence Wintermeyer, Forbes, 14 Apr. 2022

Did You Know?
Vocation has been making its voice heard in English since the 15th century, when it referred to a summons from God to perform a particular task or function in life, especially a religious career.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the word is a descendant of Latin vocatio, meaning "summons." Vocatio, in turn, comes from vocare, meaning "to call," which itself is from vox, meaning "voice." Vocation also has a secular position in the English language as a word for the strong desire to do a certain kind of work or the work itself, much like the words calling or occupation.