• vt. 提倡，主张，拥护
• n. 提倡者；支持者；律师

ad-,去，往，-voc,说，词源同voice.

advocate

advocate: [14] Etymologically, advocate contains the notion of ‘calling’, specifically of calling someone in for advice or as a witness. This was the meaning of the Latin verb advocāre (formed from vocāre ‘call’, from which English also gets vocation). Its past participle, advocātus, came to be used as a noun, originally meaning ‘legal witness or adviser’, and later ‘attorney’.

In Old French this became avocat, the form in which English borrowed it; it was later relatinized to advocate. The verb advocate does not appear until the 17th century. The word was also borrowed into Dutch, as advocaat, and the compound advocaatenborrel, literally ‘lawyer’s drink’, has, by shortening, given English the name for a sweetish yellow concoction of eggs and brandy.
=> invoke, revoke, vocation

advocate (n.)

mid-14c., "one whose profession is to plead cases in a court of justice," a technical term from Roman law, from Old French avocat "barrister, advocate, spokesman," from Latin advocatus "one called to aid; a pleader, advocate," noun use of past participle of advocare "to call" (as witness or advisor) from ad- "to" (see ad-) + vocare "to call," related to vocem (see voice (n.)). Also in Middle English as "one who intercedes for another," and "protector, champion, patron." Feminine forms advocatess, advocatrice were in use in 15c.

advocate (v.)

1640s, from advocate (n.). Related: Advocated; advocating; advocation.

1. He is a keen advocate of park-and-ride schemes.

他是“停车再换乘”计划的热情拥护者。

来自柯林斯例句

2. The group does not advocate the use of violence.

该团体不支持使用暴力。

来自《权威词典》

3. Often the interviewer will need to play devil's advocate in order to get a discussion going.

采访者常常需要故意唱唱反调以使访谈继续下去。

来自《权威词典》

4. He is a strident advocate of nuclear power.

他是发展核能的坚定拥护者。

来自《权威词典》

5. He got the best advocate in town to defend him.

他请城里最好的律师为他辩护.

来自《简明英汉词典》