noun
clarion
KLA-rih-uhn
noun
1
A medieval brass instrument with a narrow tube and a high, piercing sound, once used to signal in battle.
"The clarion sounded as the knights charged."
adj
1
Loud, clear, and impossible to ignore — especially describing a message or call to action.
"Her speech was a clarion call for reform."
How to Use Clarion
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishHistorically a shrill battle trumpet; today almost always used in the fixed phrase "clarion call," meaning a strong, unmistakable appeal for action.
Common pairings
a clarion call
clarion voice
Word Forms
clarioned past tense, clarions plural, clarions singular
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Etymology
From Old French claron, from Medieval Latin clario, ultimately from Latin clarus, "clear, loud."