Also 6–7 exclame, -aime. [ad. F. exclamer, ad. L. exclāmāre to call out, f. ex- out + clāmāre to call, shout.]
1. intr. To cry out suddenly and vehemently; to cry out from pain, anger, delight, surprise, etc. Rarely with out.
1570. Levins, Manip., 18. To Exclame, exclamare.
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., IV. i. 83. Say Gentlemen, what makes you thus exclaime?
1667. Milton, P. L., X. 416. On either side Disparted Chaos over built exclaimed.
1768. Sterne, Sent. Journ., The Bidet. Grant me but decent words to exclaim in.
1845. Darwin, in Life & Lett. (1887), I. 342. I assure you the contrast made me exclaim out.
b. with quoted words, either in direct or indirect speech.
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., I. i. 125. The French exclaym’d, the Deuill was in Armes.
1630. R. Johnson’s Kingd. & Commw., 311. Exclaiming that the tyranny of the Nobilitie had inforced them to this action.
1709. Pope, Ess. Crit., 279. ‘What! leave the Combat out?’ exclaims the Knight.
1781. Cowper, Hope, 437. ‘Spoke like an oracle,’ they all exclaim.
1828. Scott, F. M. Perth, xxi. ‘By Saint Andrew, Robin!’ exclaimed his father, ‘thou art like a screech-owl.’
1858. Froude, Hist. Eng., III. xiv. 191. The people exclaimed that they were betrayed by the gentlemen.
2. a. To exclaim against: to cry out loudly and suddenly against, accuse loudly, blame (persons, their actions and attributes); to make an outcry against, protest against, rail at (a thing). Also with indirect passive. arch.
1593. Shaks., Lucr., 757. Here shee exclaimes against repose and rest.
1652. Needham, trans. Selden’s Mare Cl., 338. The Inhabitants did indeed exclaim … against this kind of Jurisdiction.
1658. Mem. Reign Jas. I., 25. None ever exclaimed more against that Prince then usually he did.
1724. T. Burnet, Life Bp. Burnet, in Own Time, I. 59. In his charges to the Clergy he exclaimed against the pluralities.
1726. Chetwood, Adv. Capt. R. Boyle, 35. I began to exclaim against him in a friendly manner.
1734. trans. Rollin’s Anc. Hist., V. XII. 158. Sparta … was already much exclaimed against for the treaty of Antalcidas.
1860. Sat. Rev., IX. 9/2. Satisfied with exclaiming against the inconsistencies which he detected in the conduct of remarkable persons.
b. To exclaim at, on, upon: in same sense; also, (quots. 1589, 1818), to apostrophize. arch.
1583. Babington, Commandm., x. (1637), 98. So as I may not be … exclaimed upon justly in the world.
1589. Puttenham, Eng. Poesie, III. xix. (Arb.), 245. We do sodainly flye out and either speake or exclaime at some other person or thing … as a louer to his vnkind mistresse.
1633. Ford, Love’s Sacr., III. i. F iv b. I will exclaime to the world on thee, and begge Iustice of the Duke himselfe.
1709. Strype, Ann. Ref., I. xxxvii. 380. These Men … sometimes he makes sport with … and sometimes declaimes and exclaimes upon them.
1822. Lamb, Elia, Christ’s Hospital. How I would wake weeping, and in the anguish of my heart exclaim upon sweet Calne in Wiltshire!
1823. Southey, Hist. Penins. War, I. 184. He exclaimed on the horrid treatment they were giving him.
† c. To exclaim of: to complain loudly of.
1578. T. N., trans. Conq. W. India, 116. They came with pitifull cheere, exclayming of the Captaynes of the power of Tlaxcallan, who had bounde them.
1624. Capt. Smith, Virginia (1629), 39. [Some bad natures] exclaime of all things.
† 3. trans. To express by exclamation. With compl. obj. To proclaim loudly. Obs. rare.
c. 1592. Marlowe, Massacre Paris, III. ii. (1600), D ij. I curse thee and exclaime thee miscreant.
1782. [T. Vaughan], Fashionable Follies, II. 75. The beautiful creature exclaimed thus her abhorrence of inconstancy.
Hence Exclaimer, one who exclaims or cries out with sudden vehemence. Exclaiming vbl. sb., the action of the vb. EXCLAIM; an outcry. Exclaiming ppl. a., that exclaims.
1689. Locke, Toleration, 17. The Opposers of Errors, the Exclaimers against Schism.
1809–10. Coleridge, Friend (ed. 3), III. 225. The exclaimer relates half a dozen similar instances.
1872. Sir G. W. Dasent, Three to One, I. 3. ‘Then they were both middle-aged,’ some one exclaims; ‘regular old fogies.’ Here let us reason with this exclaimer.
1585. Abp. Sandys, Serm. (1841), 226. The exclaiming of the people hath many times as much cause as had the harlot’s complaint made unto Solomon.
1688. R. L’Estrange, Brief Hist. Times, III. 292. They both brake out into Violent Exclaymings, Lord! What will become of us!
1741. Richardson, Pamela, III. 188. Our intermingling Exclaimings and Observations.
1877. Daily News, 1 Nov., 6/1. There was a questioning and exclaiming that I refrain from repeating.
1580. Sidney, Arcadia (1622), 216. The happy dwellers of these vallies Haue prayed me leaue my straung exclaiming musike.
1633. T. Stafford, Pac. Hib., iii. (1821), 259. The exclayming mouths of these discontented people.
