Main Entry: de·claim

Pronunciation: \di-ˈklām, dē-\

Function: verb

Etymology: Middle English declamen, from Latin declamare, from de- + clamare to cry out; akin to Latin calare to call — more at low

Date: 14th century

intransitive verb 1 : to speak rhetorically; specifically : to recite something as an exercise in elocution
2 : to speak pompously or bombastically : haranguetransitive verb : to deliver rhetorically <an actor declaiming his lines>; specifically : to recite in elocution

— de·claim·er noun

— dec·la·ma·tion \ˌde-klə-ˈmā-shən\ noun