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Today it means

exclaim

to cry out suddenly with strong emotion, such as surprise or excitement

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Where does the word "exclaim" come from? It comes from Latin exclamare, and was adopted directly into English (1500s).

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Where does the word "exclaim" come from? It comes from Latin exclamare, and was adopted directly into English (1500s).

Exclaim’s story begins in Latin: exclamare meant “to shout out.” To shout out, from ex- (out) and clamare (to shout). It reached English by 1500s as exclaim. Settled as the English word for crying out suddenly with strong emotion. Today, exclaim means to cry out suddenly with strong emotion, such as surprise or excitement.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient exclamare "to shout out", to shout out, from ex- (out) and clamare (to shout).
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1500s exclaim "to cry out suddenly with strong emotion", settled as the English word for crying out suddenly with strong emotion.

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