First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
declaim
verb de·claim \di-ˈklām, dē-\
: to say (something) in usually a loud and formal way
Full Definition of DECLAIM
intransitive verb
1
: to speak rhetorically; specifically : to recite something as an exercise in elocution
2
: to speak pompously or bombastically : harangue
transitive verb
: to deliver rhetorically <an actor declaiming his lines>; specifically : to recite in elocution
— de·claim·er noun
— dec·la·ma·tion \ˌde-klə-ˈmā-shən\ noun
See declaim defined for English-language learners
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Origin of DECLAIM
Middle English declamen, from Latin declamare, from de- + clamare to cry out; akin to Latin calare to call — more at low
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