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© 2001 - 2026 Douglas Harper
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Origin and history of proclaim

proclaim(v.)

"make known by public announcement, promulgate," especially by herald or crier, late 14c., proclamen, from Latin proclamare "cry or call out," from pro "forth" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward") + clamare "to cry out" (from PIE root *kele- (2) "to shout"). Spelling altered by influence of claim. Related: Proclaimed; proclaiming; proclaimer.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to proclaim

proclamation(n.)

late 14c., proclamacioun, "act of making public," also "that which is proclaimed;" from Old French proclamacion (14c., Modern French proclamation) and directly from Late Latin proclamationem (nominative proclamatio) "a calling out, crying out," noun of action from past-participle stem of proclamare "to cry or call out" (see proclaim).

*kele-(2)

*kelə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to shout." Perhaps imitative.

It might form all or part of: acclaim; acclamation; Aufklarung; calendar; chiaroscuro; claim; Claire; clairvoyance; clairvoyant; clamor; Clara; claret; clarify; clarinet; clarion; clarity; class; clear; cledonism; conciliate; conciliation; council; declaim; declare; disclaim; ecclesiastic; eclair; exclaim; glair; hale (v.); halyard; intercalate; haul; keelhaul; low (v.); nomenclature; paraclete; proclaim; reclaim; reconcile.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit usakala "cock," literally "dawn-calling;" Latin calare "to announce solemnly, call out," clamare "to cry out, shout, proclaim;" Middle Irish cailech "cock;" Greek kalein "to call," kelados "noise," kledon "report, fame;" Old High German halan "to call;" Old English hlowan "to low, make a noise like a cow;" Lithuanian kalba "language."

  • *per-
  • pro-
  • See All Related Words (4)
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More to explore

laud
"praise highly, sing the praises of," late 14c., from Old French lauder "to praise, extol," from Latin laudare "to praise, commend, honor, extol, eulogize," from laus (genitive laudis) "praise, fame, glory." Probably from an echoic PIE root *leu- and cognate with Old English leoð
extol
also extoll, c. 1400, "to lift up," from Latin extollere "to place on high, raise, elevate," figuratively "to exalt, praise," from ex "up" (see ex-) + tollere "to raise," from PIE *tele- "to bear, carry," "with derivatives referring to measured weights and thence money and paymen
glorify
mid-14c., "praise, honor, extol" (God or a person), also "vaunt, be proud of, boast of; glorify oneself, be proud, boast;" from Old French glorefiier "glorify, extol, exalt; glory in, boast" (Modern French glorifier), from Late Latin glorificare "to glorify," from Latin gloria "f
denounce
now obsolete), from Old French denoncier (12c., Modern French dénoncer) and directly from Latin denuntiare "to announce, proclaim...; denounce, menace; command, order," from de- "down" + nuntiare "proclaim, announce," from nuntius "messenger" (from PIE...The negative sense in English developed (probably encouraged by other words in de-) via the meanings "proclaim as cursed,...excommunicated, removed from office" (early 14c.); "formally or publicly threaten to do" (1630s); "declare or proclaim to...
preach
Middle English prechen, "deliver a sermon, proclaim the Gospel," from late Old English predician, a loan word from Church...preachen, from Old French preechier "to preach, give a sermon" (11c., Modern French précher), from Late Latin praedicare "to proclaim...Spanish predicar), from Latin prae "before" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "in front of, before") + dicare "to proclaim...
denunciation
denunciacionem / denuntiationem (nominative denuntiatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of denuntiare "to announce, proclaim...; denounce, menace; command, order," from de "down" (see de-) + nuntiare "proclaim, announce," from nuntius "messenger" (...
abdicate
past participle of abdicare "to disown, disavow, reject" (specifically abdicare magistratu "renounce office"), literally "proclaim...as not belonging to one," from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + dicare "proclaim" (from PIE root *deik- "to show," also "...
asseverate
"affirm positively or solemnly," 1791, from Latin asseveratus/adseveratus, past participle of asseverare/adseverare "to affirm, insist on, maintain," from ad "to" (see ad-) + severus "serious, grave, strict, austere," which is probably from PIE root *segh- "to have, hold," on the
maintain
c. 1300, maintenen, "to support, uphold, aid;" also "hold fast, keep in possession, preserve from capture or loss," from Anglo-French meintenir (Old French maintenir, 12c.) "keep (a wife), sustain; persevere in, practice continually," from Latin manu tenere "hold in the hand," fr
exclaim
"to cry out, speak with vehemence, make a loud outcry in words," 1560s, a back-formation from exclamation or else from French exclamer (16c.), from Latin exclamare "cry out loud, call out," from ex "out," perhaps here an intensive prefix (see ex-), + clamare "cry, shout, call" (f

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Dictionary entries near proclaim
  • process
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  • processor
  • pro-choice
  • proclaim
  • proclamation
  • proclitic
  • proclivity
  • Procne
  • proconsul
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