exclamation

What it means

1. uncountableThe act of loudly calling or crying out, for example, as in anger, grief or pain, joy, surprise, etc.; (countable) an instance of this.

   Either be patient, and intreat me faire, / Or vvith the clamorus report of vvar: / Thus vvill I drovvne your exclamations.

   c. 1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Tragedy of King Richard the Third. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Valentine Sims [and Peter Short] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1597, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv], signatures [I4], verso – K, recto

   5 more examples

   And when he [William the Conqueror] was borne of his moders [Herleva's] wombe⸝ he fyll to the groũde [grounde], and cloſed his handes wyth powder of the flore or pauement. Therfore the mydwyfe made an exclamacyon, and ſayd this chyld ſhall be a kynge.

   a. 1513 (date written), [Robert] Fabyan, chapter CCVII, in Fabyans Cronycle Newly Prynted⸝ wyth the Cronycle, Actes, and Dedes Done in the Tyme of the Reygne of the Moste Excellent Prynce Kynge Henry the VII. Father vnto Our Most Drad Souerayne Lord Kynge Henry the .VIII. […], volume I, London: […] Wyllyam Rastell, published 10 January 1534 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 31 December 1533), →OCLC, 6th parte, folio cxxxi, recto, column 1

   [He] prooueth himſelf willinglye and wittingly in all his high tragycall exclamacion againſte hys owne conſcience, and his owne verye knowledge, to belye me: […]

   1533 (date written), Thomas More, “The Answer to the First Part of the Poysoned Booke whych a Nameles Heretike hath Named the Supper of the Lord. […]. Chapter IIII.”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London: […] Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly, and Richarde Tottell, published 30 April 1557, →OCLC, book IV, page 1106, column 1

   And ſo approching neerer vnto him ſayde, he had ſpoken ynough againſt his awne head: wherevpon followed great exclamation and many threatning words.

   1569, Richard Grafton, “Henrie the Seconde”, in A Chronicle at Large and Meere History of the Affayres of Englande […], volume II, London: […] Henry Denham, […], for Richarde Tottle and Humffrey Toye, →OCLC, page 72

   [T]he Horror of dying in ſuch a miſerable Condition rais'd Vapours into my Head vvith the meer Apprehenſions; and in theſe Hurries of my Soul, I knovv not vvhat my Tongue might expreſs: but it vvas rather Exclamation, ſuch as, Lord! vvhat a miſerable Creature am I?

   1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 106

   "What can be the meaning of that emphatic exclamation?" cried he [Mr. Bennet]. "Do you consider the forms of introduction, and the stress that is laid on them, as nonsense? I cannot quite agree with you there. What say you, Mary? For you are a young lady of deep reflection, I know, and read great books and make extracts."

   1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter II, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 11

2. uncountableThe act of loudly complaining or protesting; (countable) an instance of this; a complaint, an outcry, a protest.

   Charlys herynge this exclamacyon of hys ſubgettes, and cõſyderyng hys lacke of power to with ſtande that malyce of hys enemyes, was right penſyfe and heuy in hys herte⸝ […]

   Charles hearing this exclamation of his subjects, and considering his lack of power to withstand that malice of his enemies, was right pensive and heavy in his heart, […]

   a. 1513 (date written), [Robert] Fabyan, chapter CLXXXII, in Fabyans Cronycle Newly Prynted⸝ wyth the Cronycle, Actes, and Dedes Done in the Tyme of the Reygne of the Moste Excellent Prynce Kynge Henry the VII. Father vnto Our Most Drad Souerayne Lord Kynge Henry the .VIII. […], volume I, London: […] Wyllyam Rastell, published 10 January 1534 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 31 December 1533), →OCLC, 6th parte, folio cvii, recto, column 2

   5 more examples

   And ſo the myſerable perſone that came to complayn, retourneth complaynyng on you all, curſinge his cruell deſtenies, and maketh exclamatiõ [exclamation] vppon the rightwiſe goddis.

   1531 March 20 (date written; Gregorian calendar), [Antonio de Guevara], “Of Dyuers Other Thinges that the Vilayne Sayd before the Senate”, in John Bourcher knyghte Lord Barners [i.e., John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners], transl., The Golden Boke of Marcus Aurelius Emperour and Eloquent Oratour, London: […] Thomæ Bertheleti […], published 1535, →OCLC, folio 55, recto

   [W]hen the eares of the people are thus continually beaten vvith exclamations againſt abuſes in the Church, theſe tunes come alvvaies moſt acceptable to them vvhoſe odious and corrupt dealings in ſecular affaires both paſſe by that meane the more couertly, & vvhatſoeuer happen doe alſo the leaſt feele that ſcourge of vulgar imputation vvhich notvvithſtanding they moſt deſerue.

   1597, Richard Hooker, “To the Most Reuerend Father in God My Verie Good Lord, the Lord Archbishop of Canterburie His Grace, Primate and Metropolitane of All England”, in J[ohn] S[penser], editor, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, book V

   Theſe exactions / […] they are / Moſt pertinent to th'hearing, and to beare 'em, / The Backe is Sacrifice to th'load; They ſay / They are deuis'd by you, er [ere] elſe you ſuffer / Too hard an exclamation.

   1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 208, column 1

   [T]he poor People vvho ran a-broad in their Extremities, vvere often ill-uſed and driven back again into the Tovvn; and this cauſed infinite Exclamations and Out-cries againſt the Country Tovvns, and made the Clamour very popular.

   1722 March, H[enry] F[oe] [pseudonym; Daniel Defoe], A Journal of the Plague Year: […], London: […] E[lizabeth] Nutt […]; J. Roberts […]; A. Dodd […]; and J. Graves […], →OCLC, page 176

   [Y]et if a man expreſs the leaſt indignation at ſuch nevv and unheard-of arrogance, and in an argument of ſuch high importance as this, vvhat exclamation and abuſe muſt he not expect?

   1777, J[oseph] Priestley, “Section III. Of the Argument for Necessity from the Divine Prescience.”, in The Doctrine of Philosophical Necessity Illustrated, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC, page 24

3. countablegrammarSynonym of interjection (“a phrase or word with no particular grammatical relation to a sentence but which serves to express emotion or as a filled pause”).

   1 more example

   The lowest form of language is the exclamation, by which an entire idea is vaguely conveyed through a single sound; as among the lower animals. That human language ever consisted solely of exclamations, as so was strictly homogeneous in respect of its parts of speech, we have no evidence. But that language can be traced down to a form in which nouns and verbs are its only elements, is an established fact.

   1857 April 1, [Herbert Spencer], “Art. V.—Progress: Its Law and Cause [book review].”, in The Westminster and Foreign Quarterly Review, volume XI, number II (New Series; volume LXVII, number CXXXII, overall), London: Savill and Edwards, […], →OCLC, page 456

   Synonyms: interjection

In a sentence

And when he [William the Conqueror] was borne of his moders [Herleva's] wombe⸝ he fyll to the groũde [grounde], and cloſed his handes wyth powder of the flore or pauement. Therfore the mydwyfe made an exclamacyon, and ſayd this chyld ſhall be a kynge.

a. 1513 (date written), [Robert] Fabyan, chapter CCVII, in Fabyans Cronycle Newly Prynted⸝ wyth the Cronycle, Actes, and Dedes Done in the Tyme of the Reygne of the Moste Excellent Prynce Kynge Henry the VII. Father vnto Our Most Drad Souerayne Lord Kynge Henry the .VIII. […], volume I, London: […] Wyllyam Rastell, published 10 January 1534 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 31 December 1533), →OCLC, 6th parte, folio cxxxi, recto, column 1

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰ
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰs
3. Proto-Italic*eks
4. Latinex
5. Latinex-
6. Proto-Indo-European*kelh₁-
7. Proto-Indo-European*kl̥h₁m-
8. Proto-Italic*klām-
9. Latinclāmō
10. Latinexclāmō
11. Latinexclāmātiō
12. Middle Frenchexclamation
13. Middle Englishexclamacioun
14. Englishexclamation

From Late Middle English exclamacion, exclamacioun (“calling or crying out; complaint, lament”), borrowed from Middle French exclamation (modern French exclamation), from Latin exclāmātiō (“exclamation”), from exclāmō (“to call out, cry; to exclaim, shout”) + -tiō (suffix forming action nouns denoting processes, actions, or results of actions). Exclāmō is derived from ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + clāmō (“to call out, cry; to exclaim, shout”) (probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to call out to”)).