exclamatory
UK[ɪkˈsklæmətəri]US[ɪkˈsklæmətɔːri]
adj
(of a sentence or word) expressing a strong feeling such as surprise, anger, or pain
adj
(of a tone of voice or manner) showing strong feeling
Morpheme Breakdown
ex
clam
atory
ex
out
clam
to shout or cry out
atory
pertaining to, connected with
Etymology
The word 'exclamatory' is built upon the Latin verb 'exclamare', which itself is a compound of 'ex-' ('out') and 'clamare' ('to shout'). The core concept is literally 'to cry out'. This verb passed into Late Latin as 'exclamatorius', meaning 'pertaining to exclaiming'. The English adjective, formed by adding the suffix '-ory' to a modified stem, directly inherits this function. Thus, the morphemic logic moves from the literal act of shouting out to the modern grammatical and descriptive sense of conveying a sudden, forceful utterance or emotion.
Analysis
Structure: ex + clam + atory
- ex: Latin origin, a prefix meaning 'out'.
- clam: Latin origin, from the root 'clamare', meaning 'to shout or cry out'.
- atory: Latin origin, an adjectival suffix meaning 'pertaining to, connected with'.
Examples
The sentence "What a beautiful day!" is exclamatory.
She wrote an exclamatory remark in the margin of the letter.
His exclamatory tone made it clear he was not pleased.