advocate

Where does the word "advocate" come from? It comes from Latin advocare, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Advocate’s story begins in Latin: advocare meant “to call to one's aid.” To call to one's aid, from ad- (to) and vocare (to call). It reached English by 1300s as advocate. First recorded in 1340 in the 'Ayenbite of Inwyt', a Kentish monk's translation of the French moral treatise 'Somme le Roi'. Today, advocate means a person who publicly supports a cause, or to publicly recommend something.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient advocare "to call to one's aid", to call to one's aid, from ad- (to) and vocare (to call).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s advocate "a person who publicly supports a cause, or to support it", first recorded in 1340 in the 'Ayenbite of Inwyt', a Kentish monk's translation of the French moral treatise 'Somme le Roi'.