clamor

English

WOTD – 29 April 2008

Alternative forms

• clamour (UK English)

Etymology

Recorded in English since c. 1385, as Middle English clamour, from Old French clamor (modern clameur), from Latin clāmor (“a shout, cry”), from clāmō (“cry out, complain”); the sense to silence may have a distinct (unknown) etymology.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈklæm.ə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈklæm.ɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: clammer
• Rhymes: -æmə(ɹ)

Noun

clamor (countable and uncountable, plural clamors) (American spelling)

1. A great outcry or vociferation; loud and continued shouting or exclamation.
   • 1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 228732415, book I, page 17:

     For when he knew his Rival freed and gone, / He ſwells with Wrath; he makes outrageous Moan: / He frets, he fumes, he ſtares, he ſtamps the Ground; / The hollow Tow'r with Clamours rings around: […]

2. Any loud and continued noise.
3. A continued public expression, often of dissatisfaction or discontent; a popular outcry.

Synonyms

• (great outcry): outcry, tumult

Derived terms

• clamorous
• clamorously
• clamorousness

Related terms

► English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kelh₁-‎ (0 c, 29 e)

Translations

great outcry or vociferation

• Arabic:

  Moroccan Arabic: غوات‎ (ḡwāt)

• Bulgarian: врява (bg) f (vrjava), глъчка (bg) f (glǎčka)
• Catalan: clamor (ca) m, clam (ca) m
• Czech: řev (cs) m, křik (cs) m, vřava (cs) f
• Dutch: gegil (nl) n, gejoel (nl) n, gekrijs (nl) n, geroep (nl) n, geschreeuw (nl) n
• Galician: clamor m

• German: Geschrei (de) n, Gezeter (de) n, Schreierei f
• Greek:

  Ancient: θόρυβος m (thórubos)

• Maori: rarī, manioro
• Papiamentu: gritamentu
• Plautdietsch: Klommua m
• Russian: крик (ru) m (krik), галдёж (ru) m (galdjóž)
• Spanish: clamor (es) m
• Walloon: sclameure (wa) f, boerlaedje (wa) m

loud and continued noise

• Bulgarian: шум (bg) m (šum)
• Catalan: clamor (ca) m, clam (ca) m
• Czech: hluk (cs) m
• Dutch: gedruis (nl) n, lawaai (nl) n
• German: Krach (de) m, Lärm (de) m, Lärmkulisse f

• Greek:

  Ancient: θόρυβος m (thórubos), κέλαδος m (kélados)

• Irish: callán m
• Plautdietsch: Klommua m
• Russian: шум (ru) m (šum)
• Welsh: mwstwr m, dwndwr m, twrw m

continued public expression, often of dissatisfaction; popular outcry

• Catalan: clamor (ca) m, clam (ca) m
• Czech: křik (cs) m
• Dutch: boegeroep (nl) n, gekrijt (nl) n, gemor (nl) n, protest (nl) n

• German: Geschrei (de) n, Aufschrei (de) m, Ruf (de) m, Protest (de) m
• Russian: ро́пот (ru) m (rópot)
• Spanish: clamor (es) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} kriego
• French: ^{(please verify)} clameur (fr) m
• German: ^{(please verify)} Geheul (de) n
• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} זעקה‎ f, ^{(please verify)} צעקה‎ f

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} klamado (io)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} clamore (it) m, ^{(please verify)} clamori (it) pl
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} alarido (es)

Verb

clamor (third-person singular simple present clamors, present participle clamoring, simple past and past participle clamored) (American spelling)

1. (intransitive) To cry out and/or demand.

   Anyone who tastes our food seems to clamor for more.

2. (transitive) To demand by outcry.

   Thousands of demonstrators clamoring the government's resignation were literally deafening, yet their cries fell in deaf ears

   • 2013 September 28, Kenan Malik, "London Is Special, but Not That Special," New York Times (retrieved 28 September 2013):

     The distinctness of London has led many to clamor for the capital to pursue its own policies, especially on immigration. The British prime minister, David Cameron, is a Conservative. So is the mayor of London, Boris Johnson. But they have diametrically opposed views on immigration.

3. (intransitive) To become noisy insistently.

   After a confused murmur the audience soon clamored

4. (transitive) To influence by outcry.

   His many supporters successfully clamor his election without a formal vote

5. (obsolete, transitive) To silence.

Synonyms

• (to cry out): din

Translations

to cry out and/or demand

• German: schreien (de)

to demand by outcry

• Bulgarian: вдигам врява (vdigam vrjava), вдигам врява (vdigam vrjava)
• German: mit lautem Geschrei fordern

to become noisy insistently

• Bulgarian: крещя (bg) (kreštja)
• Dutch: zich roeren, van zich laten horen
• Finnish: hälistä
• French: vociférer (fr)

• German: laut werden
• Maori: manioro
• Spanish: clamar (es)

to influence by outcry

to silence

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} clamer (fr)

Anagrams

• Colmar, molrac

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Catalan

Etymology

From Old Occitan clamor, from Latin clāmor, clāmōrem (“a shout, cry”), from clāmō (“cry out, complain”).

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /kləˈmo/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /klaˈmoɾ/
• Rhymes: -o(ɾ)

Noun

clamor m or f (plural clamors)

1. clamor

Synonyms

• clam

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Latin

Etymology

From clāmō (“complain, cry out”)

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈklaː.mor/, [ˈkɫ̪äːmɔr]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈkla.mor/, [ˈklɑːmɔr]

Noun

clāmor m (genitive clāmōris); third declension

1. a shout, shouting
2. an acclamation, applause
3. a clamor, cry, outcry, protest
4. a noise, sound

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	clāmor	clāmōrēs
Genitive	clāmōris	clāmōrum
Dative	clāmōrī	clāmōribus
Accusative	clāmōrem	clāmōrēs
Ablative	clāmōre	clāmōribus
Vocative	clāmor	clāmōrēs

Related terms

• clāmātor
• clāmitō
• clāmō
• clāmōsus

 

Descendants

• English: clamor, clamour
• French: clameur
• Italian: clamore
• Portuguese: clamor
• Spanish: clamor

References

• clamor in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• clamor in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• clamor in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• clamor in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to elicit loud applause: clamores (coronae) facere, excitare
    
  • to raise a shout, a cry: clamorem tollere (Liv. 3. 28)
    

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Old French

Alternative forms

• clamour
• clamur

Etymology

From Latin clāmor, clāmōrem.

Noun

clamor m (oblique plural clamors, nominative singular clamors, nominative plural clamor)

1. clamor (continued shouting and uproar)

Descendants

• English: clamor, clamour
• French: clameur

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Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin clāmor, clāmōrem.

Noun

clamor m (plural clamores)

1. din (loud noise)

   Synonyms: estrépido, algazarra

Related terms

• clamar
• chamar

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Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin clāmor, clāmōrem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /klaˈmoɾ/, [klaˈmoɾ]

Noun

clamor m (plural clamores)

1. a clamor, shout
2. a protest, outcry
3. a loud noise

Derived terms

• clamorear

Related terms

• clamar
• llamar

Further reading

• “clamor” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.