English
claimant
Claimant comes from Anglo-Norman clamant, from Latin clāmō ‘to cry out’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- ‘to shout’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₁-‘to shout’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEclāmō‘to cry out’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400clamant
- Englishearliest quotation 1904–1905claimant
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₁-‘to shout’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEclāmō‘to cry out’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400clamant
- Englishearliest quotation 1904–1905claimant
Earliest quotation: 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., The Tremarn Case: “Two or three months more went by ; the…”
Formed from claim + -ant
Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- ‘to shout’
Latin clāmō ‘to call’
Old French clamer ‘to call’
Middle English claimen
English claim
The story
From Old French and Anglo-Norman clamant, present participle of the verb clamer and its variants, from Latin clāmō (‘to cry out’), equivalent to claim + -ant.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- ‘to shout’
low, hell, clear, classic, calendar, haul, reconciliation, declare, clarity, reconcile, claire, clarification, classify, squeal, clarinet, reclaim, irreconcilable, clarion, claret, ecclesiastic, conciliar, ecclesial, clas, 32 more
through Latin clāmō ‘to cry out’
proclamation, reclamation, exclamation, proclaim, acclaim, clamour, clamor, exclaim, 7 more
Today it means
noun One who claims; one who makes a claim.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- / claimant