in-vŏco, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., to call upon, invoke (cf. imploro), esp. as a witness or for aid.
I Lit.
A With living beings as objects: alium invocat, cum alio cantat, Naev. ap. Isid. Orig. 1, 26: invoco vos, Lares viales, Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 23: sibi deos, id. Am. 5, 1, 9; cf.: in pariendo Junonem Lucinam, Cic. N. D. 2, 27, 68: deos in auxilium, Quint. 4 prooem. § 5: deos precibus, Tac. A. 16, 31: Deos testes, Liv. 45, 31; Curt. 4, 10, 33; 5, 12, 3.—With a foll. subj.: justae preces invocantium, ad ultionem accingerentur, Tac. H. 4, 79.—
B With things as objects, to invoke , appeal to , implore : leges, Tac. A. 2, 71: auxilia libertati, id. ib. 15, 56: arma alicujus adversus alium, id. ib. 2, 46: fidem suorum militum, id. H. 2, 9; Suet. Caes. 33: nomen Domini, Vulg. Deut. 32, 3 saep. —
II Transf., in gen., to call by name , to name : aspice hoc sublimen candens, quem invocant omnes Jovem, Enn. ap. Cic. N. D. 2, 2, 4 (Trag. v. 402 Vahl.): aliquem dominum, regem, Curt. 10, 5, 9: reginas dominasque veris quondam, tunc alienis nominibus invocantes, id. 3, 11, 25.