invocation
//ˌɪnvəˈkeɪʃən//
Noun
invocationSingular
invocationsPlural
1
The act of calling upon a deity, spirit, or higher power for aid, protection, or inspiration.
The ceremony began with an invocation to the gods for protection and guidance.
2
A prayer or incantation used to summon or appeal to a supernatural being.
The priest began the invocation to summon the ancient spirits.
3
The act of citing or appealing to something, such as a law, principle, or authority, as justification or support.
The lawyer's invocation of the constitutional amendment strengthened her argument.
4
In computing, the act of calling or executing a function, method, or program.
The invocation of this function returns a list of user names.