calling

English

Pronunciation

• (UK)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɔːlɪŋ/, [kʰolɪŋ]
  • (Northumbria) IPA^(key): /kaːlɪn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɔlɪŋ/, [kʰɔlɪŋ]
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑlɪŋ/, [kʰɑlɪŋ]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːlɪŋ

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English callyng, kallyng, kalland, from Old English *cealliende and Old Norse kallandi, equivalent to call +‎ -ing.

Verb

calling

1. present participle and gerund of call

Etymology 2

From Middle English calling, callynge, equivalent to call +‎ -ing.

Noun

calling (plural callings)

1. A strong urge (to do some particular thing with or in one's life, for example to become religious, to help the poor, or to be an entertainer).
2. A job or occupation.
   • 2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 70:

     Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster.

Synonyms

• vocation

Derived terms

• callingly
• calling over
• calling party
• cop-calling
• hog calling
• playcalling
• SELCAL, SelCal
• telecalling

Translations

strong urge (to become or do something) — see also vocation

• Bulgarian: влече́ние (bg) n (vlečénie)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 呼召 (fu¹ ziu⁶)

  Mandarin: 呼召 (zh) (hūzhào)

• Esperanto: alvokiĝo
• Finnish: kutsumus
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: κλῆσις f (klêsis)

• Italian: vocazione (it) f, chiamata (it) f
• Japanese: 天命 (ja) (tenmē)
• Polish: powołanie (pl) n
• Scottish Gaelic: gairmeach m
• Spanish: vocación (es) f, llamado (es) m, llamamiento (es) m
• Swahili: wito (sw)
• Swedish: kall (sv) n

occupation — see also occupation,‎ profession

• Bulgarian: професия (bg) f (profesija), призва́ние (bg) n (prizvánie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 職業 / 职业 (zh) (zhíyè)

• Czech: povolání (cs) n
• Esperanto: alvoko
• Finnish: ammatti (fi)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: ἐπιτήδευμα n (epitḗdeuma)

• Hungarian: hivatás (hu)
• Irish: gairm bheatha f
• Japanese: 天命 (ja) (tenmē)
• Polish: powołanie (pl) n
• Scottish Gaelic: gairm m
• Spanish: pegarle a (verb)
• Swedish: kall (sv) n

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Pseudo-anglicism, derived from calling.

Noun

calling m (definite singular callingen, indefinite plural callinger, definite plural callingene)

1. intercom

   Synonym: dørtelefon

Related terms

• babycall

Further reading

• “calling” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Pseudo-anglicism, derived from calling.

Noun

calling m (definite singular callingen, indefinite plural callingar, definite plural callingane)

1. intercom

   Synonym: dørtelefon

Related terms

• babycall

Further reading

• “calling” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.