proclamo

Forms

prōclāmō (present infinitive prōclāmāre, perfect active prōclāmāvī, supine prōclāmātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin prō- (“forth”) + clāmō (“to shout”).^[2][3][1] De Vaan explains clāmō as made from a noun meaning shout, Proto-Italic *klām-o/ā-, from Proto-Indo-European *klh₁-m(o)-.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cicero,^[5] whose Verrines describe people who are present, defend, cry out and implore “your” protection.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

It means to raise an outcry, shout out, and with an accusative and infinitive to cry out that, proclaim or declare, as Livy's father proclaiming that he judged his daughter justly killed.^[2][6] With direct speech it is to exclaim, as Seneca's man who cried in Greek “a kingly deed!”^[2] Apuleius uses it of the daily voice practice of tragic actors.^[2] In law it is to take a claim to court or appeal, as Ulpian.^[2] The TLL finds it once or twice each in Cicero, Virgil, Livy, Labeo and Seneca the Elder, and more often from Valerius Maximus on.^[3] Church Latin glosses it proclaim, cry out.^[7] English proclaim (late 14th century) is from it.^[8]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero of people crying out for protection.^[2][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil of Diores shouting aloud.^[6][5]
• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy of a father's declaration.^[2][5]
• before 223 AD – Ulpian of an appeal to a court.^[2][5]
• late 14th century – English proclaim is formed from it.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To cry out, shout out, vociferate; to practise declamation.^[2][6][1]
2. To cry out that, proclaim, declare; to exclaim.^[2][6][1]
3. (law) To take a claim to court; to appeal.^[2]

Word family

• prōclāmātiō
• proclamator

Related words

• clāmō
• English proclaim

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com