Vocation

vo·ca·tion  (v-kshn) n. 1. A regular occupation, especially one for which a person is particularly suited or qualified. 2. An inclination, as if in response to a summons, to undertake a certain kind of work, especially a religious career; a calling. [Middle English vocacioun, divine call to a religious life, from Old French vocation, from Latin vocti, voctin-, a calling, from voctus, past participle of vocre, to call; see wekw- in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

vocation [vəʊˈkeɪʃən]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	vocation – the particular occupation for which you are trained calling, career job, line of work, occupation, business, line – the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money; “he’s not in my line of business” specialism, specialization, specialty, speciality, specialisation – the special line of work you have adopted as your career; “his specialization is gastroenterology” lifework – the principal work of your career walk of life, walk – careers in general; “it happens in all walks of life” business life, professional life – a career in industrial or commercial or professional activities
	2.	vocation – a body of people doing the same kind of work occupational group body – a group of persons associated by some common tie or occupation and regarded as an entity; “the whole body filed out of the auditorium”; “the student body”; “administrative body” profession – the body of people in a learned occupation; “the news spread rapidly through the medical profession”; “they formed a community of scientists” press corps – a group of journalists representing different publications who all cover the same topics; “the White House press corps”