clarion

[klar-ee-uhn]

adjective

1. clear and shrill.

   the clarion call of a battle trumpet.

noun

1. an ancient trumpet with a curved shape.

2. the sound of this instrument.

3. any similar sound.

clarion

/ ˈklærɪən /

noun

1. a four-foot reed stop of trumpet quality on an organ

2. an obsolete, high-pitched, small-bore trumpet

3. the sound of such an instrument or any similar sound

adjective

1. (prenominal) clear and ringing; inspiring

   a clarion call to action

verb

1. to proclaim loudly

Word History and Origins

Origin of clarion¹

1275–1325; Middle English < Medieval Latin clāriōn- (stem of clāriō ) trumpet, equivalent to clār- clear + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of clarion¹

C14: from Medieval Latin clāriō trumpet, from Latin clārus clear

Example Sentences

And he raises an alarm, with clarion sharpness, about an authoritarian specter.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A clarion call in that direction came from President Bill Clinton when, in his 1996 State of the Union address, he exulted that “the era of big government is over.”

Read more on Salon

Thomas Pynchon’s voice on the page still sings, clarion strong.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

His expansive vision of the ’80s rings out like a clarion call for a new era of rigorous artistic engagement with the unknowable and the unseen.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Lord Watson, former deputy leader of the Labour Party and clearly a fan of Sir Elton, reeled off a string of song lyrics urging ministers to heed "the clarion cry of this country's creators".

Read more on BBC