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clarion: msg#00025

culture.language.word-of-the-day

Subject: clarion

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The Word of the Day for September 26 is:

clarion \KLAIR-ee-un\ adjective
: brilliantly clear; also : loud and clear

Example sentence:
Frances issued a clarion call to action, convincingly describing the flaws
in the proposed legislation and detailing actions people could take to stop it.

Did you know?
In the Middle Ages, "clarion" was a noun, the name for a trumpet that
could play a melody in clear, shrill tones. The noun has since been used for
the sound of a trumpet or a similar sound. By the early 1800s, English speakers
had also started using the word as an adjective for things that ring as clear
as the call of a well-played trumpet. Not surprisingly, "clarion" ultimately
derives (via the Medieval Latin "clario-") from "clarus," which is the Latin
word for "clear." In addition, "clarus" gave English speakers "clarify,"
"clarity," "declare" ("to make clearly known"), and "clear" itself.







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