/ prəˈkleɪm; NAmE / verb
1.
to publicly and officially tell people about sth important
SYN declare :
[ vn ]
The president proclaimed a state of emergency.
[ v that ]
The charter proclaimed that all states would have their own government.
[ vn - n ]
He proclaimed himself emperor.
[also vn to inf , also v wh- , v speech ]
2.
( formal ) to show sth clearly; to be a sign of sth :
[ vn ]
This building, more than any other, proclaims the character of the town.
[ vn - n , vn to inf ]
His accent proclaimed him a Scot.
His accent proclaimed him to be a Scot.
[also v that ]
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English proclame , from Latin proclamare cry out, from pro- forth + clamare to shout. The change in the second syllable was due to association with the verb claim .