▪ I. clamour, -or, n.
(ˈklæmə(r))
Forms: 4–5 clamur, -ure, -oure, 6 -ore (7 claymour), 4– clamour, clamor.
[a. OF. clamor, clamur, 12–13th c. clamour (= Sp., Pr. clamor, It. clamore):—L. clāmōr-em a call, shout, cry, f. root of clāmā-re to cry out, shout]
1. Loud shouting or outcry, vociferation; esp. the excited outcry of vehement appeal, complaint, or opposition: commonly, but not always, implying a mingling of voices.
| c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 137 The grete clamour [v.r. clamor] and the waymentynge Which that the ladies made at the brennynge Of the bodies. c 1400 Destr. Troy 5997 Myche clamur & crie for care of hor dethe. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour I vj, Our lord god..forgetteth not the clamour and prayer of the trewe and juste. c 1500 Lancelot 3264 The clamore and the cryis Was lamentable and petws. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §169 He that stoppeth his eare at the clamoure or crie of a pore man. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. Table 71 Clamour, crying, and voice popular, sould follow ane manslayer. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. i. ii. 189 Contempt and Clamor Will be my Knell. 1735 Berkeley Def. Freeth. Math. §22 The worst cause produceth the greatest clamour. 1828 Webster, Clamor. 1845 Whately Elem. Rhet. (L.), Attempts to suppress evidence, or to silence a speaker by clamour. 1871 R. Ellis Catullus xl. 6 Wouldst thou..Break with clamour at any cost the silence? |
b. with a, and pl. A shout, a cry; an outburst of noisy utterance.
| 1382 Wyclif Esther ix. 31 Fastingis and clamoures [1388 the cries] and daȝes of lotis. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour H ij b, Many clamours and orysons they hadde..made unto god. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 527 A greet clamour and a houge noise was herde through the towne. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 874 Sickly eares, Deaft with the clamors of their owne deare grones. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 234 Birds with clamours frighted from the Field. 1839 Thirlwall Greece VII. 145 He was interrupted in a speech by clamours of disapprobation. |
2. fig. General vehement expression of feeling, especially of discontent or disapprobation (often including noisy manifestation); popular outcry.
| [c 1386 Chaucer Wife's T. 33 Ffor which oppression was swich clamour.] 1393 Gower Conf. III. 263 The comun clamour tolde The newe shame of sinnes olde. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. vii. (1520) 112 b/1 [He] had oftentymes herde the comyn clamoure of the Englysshe men. 1664 Power Exp. Philos. ii. 188 Though it be a Conceit that hath possess'd all ages..the Clamour was never so high as it is now. 1707 Freind Peterborough's Cond. Sp. 165 It was the general clamour here, that his Lordship gave an extravagant interest. 1828 D'Israeli Chas. I, I. iv. 55 The clamour for war continued, year after year, in our country. 1844 Ld. Brougham Brit. Const. ix. §1. (1862) 111 The clamour excited against an unpopular measure. |
3. Loud vocal noise of beasts and birds.
| 1719 Young Paraphr. Job (R.), And stills the clamour of the craving nest. 1748 Anson Voy. iii. ii. 309 The clamour..of domestic poultry, which range the woods. 1820 W. Irving Sketch Bk. II. 60 The clamour of a troop of dogs of all sorts and sizes. 1859 Kingsley Misc. (1860) II. 140 The sweet clamour of the wild fowl. |
4. Loud noise of musical instruments; and, more generally, of a storm, waterfall, etc.
| 1592 Nobody & Someb. (1878) 328 Trumpets and drums, your dreadfull clamors sound! 1716 Addison (J.), Here the loud Arno's boist'rous clamours cease. 1729 G. Shelvocke Artillery ii. 90 That Clamour which usually attends the burning of Saltpeter. 1850 Prescott Peru II. 214 The hideous clamour of conch, trumpet, and atabal. 1876 Swinburne Erechth. 560 The clamour of his storms. |
5. Comb., as clamour-proof adj.
| 1689 in Cobbett Parl. Hist. Eng. (1809) V. 244 ‘His blood be upon him,’ meaning the Lord Chief Justice, who said, ‘Let it! I am clamour-proof!’ |
▪ II. clamour, -or, v.1
(ˈklæmə(r))
[f. prec. n.]
1. intr. To make a clamour; to shout, or utter loud and continued cries or calls; to raise an outcry, make a noise or din of speech. Said of persons, animals, and instruments of noise.
| c 1400 Test. Love i. (1560) 277 b/1 Thilke persons..drawen also the feeble witted people..to clamure and to crye on matters that they stirred. 1530 Palsgr. 485/2, I clamer, or krye out with a loude voyce, je mescrye. 1605 Shakes. Macb. ii. iii. 65 The obscure Bird clamor'd the liue-long Night. 1727 Thomson Summer 1656 The Quail clamours for his running mate. 1852 C. M. Yonge Cameos I. xli. 355 The London mob clamoured in fury without. |
b. To raise an outcry against.
| 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Acts xviii. 6 (R.) When they clamoured agaynste hym. 1681–6 J. Scott Chr. Life (1747) III. 209 When therefore their Conscience begins to clamour against their Wickedness..the Mercy of God is the usual Sanctuary they fly to. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 379 Many persons were..disposed to clamour against the innovation, simply because it was an innovation. |
2. intr. To raise an outcry for; to seek, demand, or call importunately for, or to do a thing.
| 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxi. 109 Very absurd for men to clamor as they doe, for the Liberty they so manifestly enjoy. 1752 Johnson Rambler No. 195 ¶6 They..clamoured vehemently for the prologue. 1841 D'Israeli Amen. Lit. (1867) 756 The Catholics clamoured for a free press under Charles the Second. 1869 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) III. xiv. 339 Men were eagerly clamouring to go home. |
3. trans. † a. To disturb with clamour; to din.
| 1625 Bacon Ess., Counsel (Arb.) 329 Let them not come..in a Tribunitious Manner; For that is, to clamour Counsels, not to enforme them. 1642 Pinke in Ellis Orig. Lett. ii. 280 III. 299 The Disciples when in danger of drowning clamoured our Saviour with ‘Master, carest thou not that we perish?’ 1649 Evelyn Mem. (1857) III. 49 Legions of women went down to clamour the House for his enlargement. 1671 Milton Samson 1621 Clamouring thir god with praise, Who had made thir dreadful enemy thir thrall. |
b. With advb. compl.: To move or drive by clamouring out of, into; to put down by clamour.
| 1646 J. Maine Sermon conc. Unity (1647) 36 To..clamour down all the primitive Truths for some Generations taught among them. 1693 South Serm. (1823) I. 408 We may much more easily think to clamour the sun and moon out of their courses. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 132 They..laugh at him, and hoot him, until..he is clamoured down and retires of himself. 1888 Pall Mall G. 8 June 2/2 The public have been clamoured..into a belief that, etc. |
4. trans. To utter or assert clamorously.
| 1856 Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) II. vii. 127 The imperialist cardinals..clamoured that the evil had been caused by the dilatory timidity. 1859 Tennyson Merlin & V. 621 Is it clamour'd by the child, Or whisper'd in the corner? 1863 Longfellow Wayside Inn, Birds Killingw. 14 Hungry crows..Clamoured their piteous prayer incessantly. |
▪ III. ˈclamour, -or, v.2
Also clamber.
[Evidently related to clam v.2, of which it may be a frequentative derivative (cf. stutter, patter), and so better spelt clammer. The actual spelling shows association with the prec. word, and actual relation to that is, of course, also possible. Identity with Ger. klammern, or with clamber, seems hardly admissible, though association with the latter is found by a correspondent skilled in campanology, who says:
Clambering describes the way in which the sounds of the bells clamber as it were one on the top of another when they get into confusion; in Yorksh. it is called jumbling.]
1. Bell-ringing. See quot. and cf. clam v.2
Todd says ‘A term in ringing, according to Warburton, which other commentators..imagine to be merely his own opinion. It is, however, probable. To encrease the strokes of the clapper on the bell, in falling it.’
| 1747 Warburton Shaks. Wks. (T.), When bells are at the height, in order to cease them, the repetition of the strokes becomes much quicker than before; this is called clamouring them. c 1800 W. Jones Key to Art of Ringing 4 A true compass makes the ringing pleasant and harmonious..the want of it produces those clamberings and firings (as it is called) that destroy all music, and is very disgusting to every judicious ear. |
2. To stop from noise, to silence; = clam v.2 2.
[Supposed by Warburton to be taken from the fact that the clamouring of bells is immediately followed by silence.]
| 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iii. 250 Clown. 'Tis well they are whispring: clamor your tongues, and not a word more. 1630 J. Taylor (Water P.) Sir Gregory Nonsence Wks. 1/2 Cease friendly cutting throats, Clamour the promulgation of your tongues And yield to Demagorgon's policy. |