From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Call \Call\, n.
1. The act of calling; -- usually with the voice, but often
otherwise, as by signs, the sound of some instrument, or
by writing; a summons; an entreaty; an invitation; as, a
call for help; the bugle's call. "Call of the trumpet."
--Shak.
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I rose as at thy call, but found thee not. --Milton.
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2. A signal, as on a drum, bugle, trumpet, or pipe, to summon
soldiers or sailors to duty.
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3. (Eccl.) An invitation to take charge of or serve a church
as its pastor.
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4. A requirement or appeal arising from the circumstances of
the case; a moral requirement or appeal.
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Dependence is a perpetual call upon humanity.
--Addison.
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Running into danger without any call of duty.
--Macaulay.
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5. A divine vocation or summons.
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St. Paul himself believed he did well, and that he
had a call to it, when he persecuted the Christians.
--Locke.
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6. Vocation; employment.
Note: [In this sense, calling is generally used.]
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7. A short visit; as, to make a call on a neighbor; also, the
daily coming of a tradesman to solicit orders.
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The baker's punctual call. --Cowper.
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8. (Hunting) A note blown on the horn to encourage the
hounds.
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9. (Naut.) A whistle or pipe, used by the boatswain and his
mate, to summon the sailors to duty.
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10. (Fowling) The cry of a bird; also a noise or cry in
imitation of a bird; or a pipe to call birds by imitating
their note or cry.
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11. (Amer. Land Law) A reference to, or statement of, an
object, course, distance, or other matter of description
in a survey or grant requiring or calling for a
corresponding object, etc., on the land.
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12. The privilege to demand the delivery of stock, grain, or
any commodity, at a fixed, price, at or within a certain
time agreed on. [Brokers' Cant]
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13. See {Assessment}, 4.
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{At call}, or {On call}, liable to be demanded at any moment
without previous notice; as money on deposit.
{Call bird}, a bird taught to allure others into a snare.
{Call boy}
(a) A boy who calls the actors in a theater; a boy who
transmits the orders of the captain of a vessel to
the engineer, helmsman, etc.
(b) A waiting boy who answers a cal, or cames at the
ringing of a bell; a bell boy.
{Call note}, the note naturally used by the male bird to call
the female. It is artificially applied by birdcatchers as
a decoy. --Latham.
{Call of the house} (Legislative Bodies), a calling over the
names of members, to discover who is absent, or for other
purposes; a calling of names with a view to obtaining the
ayes and noes from the persons named.
{Call to the bar}, admission to practice in the courts.
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