advocate

English Online Dictionary. What means advocate‎? What does advocate mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English advocat, advoket, from Old French advocat, from Latin advocātus (“an advocate”), from the substantivization of the perfect passive participle of advocāre (“to call for”) (see -ate (noun-forming suffix)), from a calque of Ancient Greek παράκλητος (paráklētos) (whence English paraclete). Doublet of advoke, avocat, avouch, and avow. The verb derives from the noun on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Pronunciation

• Noun:
  • enPR: ăd'və-kət, IPA^(key): /ˈæd.və.kət/
• Verb:
  • enPR: ăd'və-kāt, IPA^(key): /ˈæd.və.keɪt/

Noun

advocate (plural advocates)

1. Someone whose job is to speak for someone's case in a court of law; a counsel. [from 14th c.]
2. Anyone who argues the case of another; an intercessor. [from 14th c.]
3. A person who speaks in support of something, or someone; proponent [from 18th c.]
4. A person who supports others to make their voices heard, or ideally for them to speak up for themselves.

Derived terms

Related terms

• advocacy
• advocation
• advocator
• avocate

Translations

Verb

advocate (third-person singular simple present advocates, present participle advocating, simple past and past participle advocated)

1. (transitive) To plead in favour of; to defend by argument, before a tribunal or the public; to support, vindicate, or recommend publicly.
   • 7 March, 1624, Robert Sanderson, sermon at the Assizes, at Lincoln

     To advocate the cause of thy client.

   • 16 June, 1784, Edmund Burke, speech on reform of representation in the House of Commons

     This is the only thing distinct and sensible, that has been advocated.

2. (transitive) To encourage support for something.
3. (intransitive, with for) To engage in advocacy.
4. (Scots law) To appeal from an inferior court to the Court of Session.
5. (Scots law, in higher courts) To call a case before itself for decision.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:advise

Derived terms

Related terms

• advocacy

Translations

References

• “advocate, n.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.
• “advocate, v.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• avocated

Dutch

Etymology

From advocaat +‎ -e.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑdvoːˈkaːtə/
• Hyphenation: ad‧vo‧ca‧te

Noun

advocate f (plural advocates)

1. female equivalent of advocaat (lawyer)

Latin

Verb

advocāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of advocō

Spanish

Verb

advocate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of advocar combined with te