Called

Called is the simple past tense and past participle of the English verb call. It covers several related actions: naming or designating someone or something; summoning or attracting attention; and contacting someone by telephone. In sentences, it can indicate a completed action (“She called her mother yesterday”), a designation (“The village was called Willowmere by early settlers”), or a state resulting from an action (“They have called several times”). As a participle, it forms perfect tenses and appears in passive constructions, as in “The meeting was called to order.”

Etymology: The verb call derives from Old English and belongs to the Germanic language family; cognates occur in other Germanic languages. The sense of summoning and naming is ancient and remains central to the verb’s meaning across English varieties. The past tense suffix -ed reflects regular English conjugation.

Usage notes: Common constructions include naming or designating—“the city was called Verona by early settlers”; summoning or instructing—“the coach called a timeout”; telephoning—“they called me yesterday”; and formal procedure—“the meeting was called to order.” The word is regular in form, with the -ed ending used for both past tense and past participle. In modern usage, context often clarifies whether the sense is naming, contacting by phone, or initiating an action.