AVOCA'TION, noun [See Vocation, Voice, Vocal.] 1. The act of calling aside, or diverting from some employment; as an avocation from sin or from business. 2. The business which calls aside. The word is generally used for the smaller affairs of life, or occasional calls which summon a person to leave his ordinary or principal business. The use of this word for vocation is very improper.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI