Phrase origin: Why do we "call" functions?

Somewhat less frequently, I also hear "invoke" or "execute", which is more verbose but also more generic.

Incidentally, I find strange misuses of "call" ("calling a command", "calling a button") one of the more grating phrases used by ESL CS students.

Invoke comes from Latin invocō, invocāre, meaning “to call upon”. I wouldn’t view it as a misuse, but rather a shortening.

> Invoke comes from Latin invocō, invocāre, meaning “to call upon”.

(In the way you'd call upon a skill, not in the way you'd call upon a neighbor.)