declaim

[dih-kleym] /dɪˈkleɪm/
verb (used without object)
1.
to speak aloud in an oratorical manner; make a formal speech:
Brutus declaimed from the steps of the Roman senate building.
2.
to inveigh (usually followed by against):
He declaimed against the high rents in slums.
3.
to speak or write for oratorical effect, as without sincerity or sound argument.
verb (used with object)
4.
to utter aloud in an oratorical manner:
to declaim a speech.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English declamen < Latin dēclāmāre, equivalent to dē- de- + clāmāre to cry, shout; see claim
Related forms
declaimer, noun
undeclaimed, adjective
undeclaiming, adjective
Can be confused
declaim, disclaim.
Examples from the web for declaim
  • My friends declaim my ability and attribute my skill to other causes.
  • Written words, spoken words, words to sing or to scream or to declaim.
  • There are well-meaning philosophers who declaim against the unrighteousness of war.
  • Instead of conversing, some declaim, issuing speeches prepared long in advance or used successfully on other occasions.
  • While voters often declaim in colorful, castigatory ways, politicians are more encouraging but also more precise.
British Dictionary definitions for declaim

declaim

/dɪˈkleɪm/
verb
1.
to make (a speech, statement, etc) loudly and in a rhetorical manner
2.
to speak lines from (a play, poem, etc) with studied eloquence; recite
3.
(intransitive) foll by against. to protest (against) loudly and publicly
Derived Forms
declaimer, noun
Word Origin
C14: from Latin dēclāmāre, from clāmāre to call out
Word Origin and History for declaim
v.

late 14c., from Middle French déclamer and directly from Latin declamare "to practice public speaking, to bluster," from de- intensive prefix + clamare "to cry, shout" (see claim (v.)). At first in English spelled declame, but altered under influence of claim. Related: Declaimed; declaiming.