Radio Omniglot

Adventures in Etymology 14 – Exclamation!


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Today we are looking at the word exclamation [ˌɛk skləˈmeɪ ʃən], a interjectory word that cries out and calls loudly, that expresses outcry or emphasis.

It comes from the Middle French word exclamation (exclamation), from the Latin exclāmātiō (exclamation), from ex- (out) and clāmāre, from clāmō (I cry out, clamor, shout, yell, exclaim), from the Proto-Italic *klāmāō, from the Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (to call, cry, summon) [source].
Some English words from the same root include: acclaim, claim, clamour, council, declaim, proclaim and reclaim [source].
Here’s a video I made of this information:

Video made with Doodly – an easy-to-use animated video creator [affiliate link].
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Radio OmniglotBy Simon Ager

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