evocation

noun

evo·​ca·​tion ˌē-vō-ˈkā-shən 

ˌe-və-

1

: the act or fact of evoking : summoning: such as

a

: the summoning of a spirit

b

: imaginative recreation

an evocation of the past

2

: induction sense 3c

evocator

ˈē-vō-ˌkā-tər 

ˈe-və-

noun

Examples of evocation in a Sentence

rich evocations of the sights, sounds, and smells of the carnival

the evocation of a simpler time

Recent Examples on the Web

Aaron Copland’s score to Martha Graham’s classic ballet offered the gift of simplicity, an evocation of open landscape and, most important, of spiritual renewal. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025

The title track starts off sounding like gamelan music, then turns into a busy-grooved evocation on finding catharsis by going for a swim at a busy beach, creating her own ecstatic iteration of traditional baptismal blues imagery. —Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 2025

Talbots Velvet is always a staple of the holiday season, noted for its softness, warmth and romantic evocation. —Emma Sandler, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024

The language of war ranges from the tired banalities of militarist rhetoric to visceral combinations of horror, tenderness, and irony that produce memorable evocations of modern combat. —Karen Parker Lears, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin evocation-, evocatio, from evocare

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

evocation

noun

evo·​ca·​tion ˌē-vō-ˈkā-shən 

ˌev-ə-

: an act or instance of evoking

Medical Definition

evocation

noun

evo·​ca·​tion ˌē-vō-ˈkā-shən  ˌev-ə- 

: induction sense 3b

specifically : initiation of development of a primary embryonic axis