exclamation

C2+ Topic:Emotions & Feelings

US /ˌɛkskləˈmeɪʃən/ UK /ˌɛkskləˈmeɪʃən/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
a sudden cry or remark expressing surprise, anger, or pain

An exclamation of delight escaped her when she opened the box.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a sudden cry or remark... outcry cry ejaculation shout interjection yell utterance

Word family

Related forms exclaim exclamatory claim

Etymology

From Latin exclamatio ('an exclamation, outcry'), from exclamare ('to cry out'), from ex- ('out') + clamare ('to call, cry out').

exclamatio Latin clamare Latin *kelh₁- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Emotions & Feelings Word Formation & Derivatives

# exclamation

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˌɛkskləˈmeɪʃən
**IPA (UK):** ˌɛkskləˈmeɪʃən

## Meanings
1. a sudden cry or remark expressing surprise, anger, or pain

## Examples
- An exclamation of delight escaped her when she opened the box.

## Synonyms
- outcry
- cry
- ejaculation
- shout
- interjection
- yell
- utterance

## Related Forms
- exclaim
- exclamatory
- claim

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: exclamatio
- Root: clamare
- Root: *kelh₁-

## Etymology
From Latin exclamatio ('an exclamation, outcry'), from exclamare ('to cry out'), from ex- ('out') + clamare ('to call, cry out').

## AI Etymology
Exclamation comes from Latin exclamatio ('an exclamation, outcry'), from exclamare ('to cry out'), from ex- ('out') + clamare ('to call, cry out'). Morphologically, the form is compositional: ex- marks part of the visible structure, while the remaining element supplies the lexical base. In present use, it is used as a noun meaning "a sudden cry or remark expressing surprise, anger, or pain", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes related forms such as exclaim, exclamatory, and claim, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Latin exclamatio, Latin clamare, and Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁-, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood includes outcry, cry, ejaculation, and shout, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- Emotions & Feelings
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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exclamation

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