declaim

C2+ Topic:Communication

US /dɪˈkleɪm/ UK /dɪˈkleɪm/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to speak or recite formally and rhetorically

He rose to declaim a passage from the epic.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to speak or recite formally... orate recite haranguehold forthspeechifyexpoundperorate

Word family

Derived forms declaimer declamation declamatory

Related forms claim exclaim proclaim

Etymology

From Latin dēclāmāre ('to practice public speaking, declaim'), from de- (intensive) plus clāmāre ('to cry out, shout'), from PIE *kelh₁- ('to call, shout').

dēclāmāre Latin clāmāre Latin *kelh₁- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

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# declaim

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈkleɪm/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈkleɪm/

## Meanings
1. to speak or recite formally and rhetorically

## Examples
- He rose to declaim a passage from the epic.

## Synonyms
- orate
- recite
- harangue
- hold forth
- speechify
- expound
- perorate

## Derived Forms
- declaimer
- declamation
- declamatory

## Related Forms
- claim
- exclaim
- proclaim

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dēclāmāre
- Root: clāmāre
- Root: *kelh₁-

## Etymology
From Latin dēclāmāre ('to practice public speaking, declaim'), from de- (intensive) plus clāmāre ('to cry out, shout'), from PIE *kelh₁- ('to call, shout').

## AI Etymology
Declaim is from Latin dēclāmāre ('to practice public speaking, declaim'), from de- (intensive) plus clāmāre ('to cry out, shout'), from PIE *kelh₁- ('to call, shout'). The ancestry passes through Latin dēclāmāre, Latin clāmāre, and Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁-. The prefix de- often marks removal, reversal, or downward motion in Latin formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as a verb, it means "to speak or recite formally and rhetorically", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include claim, exclaim, and proclaim; derived forms include declaimer, declamation, and declamatory.

## Topics
- Communication

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declaim

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