acclaim
/əˈkleɪm/
noun or verb
Origin
Latin
acclamare — to shout at, to cry out to
Overview
Meaning Now
- enthusiastic and public praise
- to welcome or applaud enthusiastically
Literal older meaning
to call out to
Language path
Latin → Middle French → English
Earliest form
acclaim
Earliest period
16th century
Journey
The term stems from the Roman practice of 'acclamatio', where senators or public crowds would rhythmically shout their approval or disapproval of an emperor or official in a public setting.
Evolution
- Latin
adclamare
“to shout toward”
Prefix 'ad-' (to) + 'clamare' (to call/shout).
- Middle French
acclamer
“to proclaim or shout approval”
Borrowed into French from Latin.
- 16th-century English
acclaim
“to announce with applause”
Re-fashioned based on the Latin stem.
Connections
Word parts
ac-
prefix
to, toward
claim
root
to call, cry out
Related across languages
French
acclamer
to acclaim
Spanish
aclamar
to acclaim
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Related to acclaim
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.