Etymograph

English

exclamation

Exclamation comes from Latin exclāmō ‘to cry out’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- ‘to shout’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₁-1‘to shout’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEclāmō2‘cry/call"’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexclāmō3‘to cry out’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexclāmātiō3
  5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600exclamation3
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1834exclamation3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin clamo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin exclamo
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English exclamation
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1834, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Richard Bentley: “And now, my dearest Lucy, collect yourself, for all…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₁-Wiktionary, Latin clamo‘to shout’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEclāmōWiktionary, Latin exclamo‘cry/call"’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexclāmōWiktionary, English exclamation‘to cry out’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexclāmātiōWiktionary, English exclamation
  5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600exclamationWiktionary, English exclamation
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1834exclamationWiktionary, English exclamation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1834, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Richard Bentley: “And now, my dearest Lucy, collect yourself, for all…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- ‘to shout’

low, hell, clear, classic, calendar, haul, declare, claire, clarity, reconcile, reconciliation, reclaim, classify, acclaim, proclaim, clarification, clarinet, squeal, claimant, irreconcilable, claret, clarion, ecclesial, ecclesiastic, clas, conciliar, 32 more

through Latin clāmō ‘cry/call"’

claim, proclamation, reclamation, clamour, clamor, 10 more

Today it means

noun A loud calling or crying out, for example as in surprise, pain, grief, joy, anger, etc.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “exclamation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin clamo, Latin exclamo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- / exclamation

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