clam 
of clam 1 , ., clfim", a., clanfi, v., and clem 1 , 
clem%, clcm s , clcam, clainft, cloam, etc. : see 
these words. Cf. clamp 1 , v.] I. trans. 1. To 
press together ; compress ; pinch. 2. To clog 
up; close by pressure; shut. 3. To castrate, 
as a bull or ram, by compression. 4. To 
rumple; crease. 5. To snatch. 6. To pinch 
with hunger ; emaciate ; starve. 
II. intrans. 1. To stick close. 2. To grope 
or grasp ineffectually. [Scotch.] 3. To die 
of hunger ; starve. 
In renllty we are clamming and very near starved to 
death. Arnold, Cotton Famine, p. 224. 
[In all senses obsolete or provincial.] 
clam" (klam), a. [Sc. also clem (see clem 3 ) ; 
< ME. clam = MD. 1). klam, clammy, moist, = 
MLG. klam, close, fast, rigid, oppressed, dis- 
couraged, = MHG. cliltim, klam, close, small, 
weak, G. klamm, narrow, close, scarce, clammy 
(also MHG. klemm, close, G. dial, klemm, close, 
scarce), = Dan. klam, clammy, damp ; of like 
origin with clam 1 , n., and clam 1 , v., namely, 
from the pret. *klam of the orig. verb *kliman, 
press or adhere together, stick: see clam 1 , n., 
and clam 1 , #.] 1. Sticky; viscous; clammy 
(which see). 
Clam, or cleymous [see claimous], glutinosus, viscosus. 
Prompt. Part., p. 79. 
A clam pitchie ray shot from that Centrall Night. 
Dr. H. More, Sleep of the Soul, iii. 33. 
2. Moist; thawing, as ice. 3. Vile; mean; 
unworthy. 
In vile and clain coveitise of men. 
Wiic-Hf, Select Works (ed. Arnold), III. 29. 
clam 2 (klam), v. ; pret. and pp. clammed, ppr. 
clamminy. [Chiefly dial., in part from clam' 2 , 
a., and in part a var. of darnel, claim 2 , which is 
a var. of clcnfi, cleam, q. v. ; in meaning and 
form mixed with and ult. related to clam 1 , 
clem 1 , q. v.] I. trans. I. To smear; daub; 
clog with glutinous or viscous matter. 
He spitte in the erthe, and made clay of the spittyng, 
and claiiwiyde cley on his eyen. 
Wydif, Select Works (ed. Arnold), II. 93. 
2. To stick; glue. 
A swarm of wasps got into a honey-pot, and there they 
clogged and clamm'd themselves till there was no getting 
out again. Sir R. L' Estrange. 
II. intrans. To be glutinous; be cold and 
moist; be clammy. 
A chilling sweat, a damp of jealousy, 
Hangs on my brows and clams upon my limbs. 
Dryden, Amphitryon, iii. 1. 
Clam 2 (klam), n. [< clam 2 , a. and y.~] Clam- 
miness ; the state or quality of having or con- 
veying a cold moist feeling. [Rare.] 
Corruption and the clam of death. 
Carlyle, French Rev., I. v. 5. 
clam 3 (klam), n. [Also formerly clamp ; being 
aparticular use (prob. through clam-shell, clamp- 
shell, that is, orig., a shell like a clamp or vise) 
of clam 1 , n., 1., or the equiv. clamp 1 , n., with 
ref. to the closed 'jaws ' of this shell-fish. Said 
by some to have ref. to "the firmness with 
which some clams adhere to rocks " ; but clams 
do not adhere to rocks.] A name given in dif- 
ferent localities to different bivalve mollusks. 
Thus, in England, about the mouth of the river Helford, 
it is given to the piddock, Pholas dactylus ; in New York 
and neighboring States, to Venus mercenaria, Mya are- 
naria being known as the soft clam or long clam; in Massa- 
chusetts, to Mya arenaria, Venus mercenaria being desig- 
nated as the hard clam or round clam,; in many parts of 
the interior United States, to any species of Unionidce or 
mussels ; along the Pacific coast of the United States, to 
species of Tapes and Saxidomux ; and, with qualifying pre- 
fixes, to various other species. The giant clam is Tri- 
dacna gigas ; the thorny clam is Chama lazarm, etc. 
They scatered up & down . . . by y water side, wher 
they could find ground nuts & dames. 
W. Bradford, Hist. Plymouth Plantation, ii. 130. 
Bear's-paw clam, Hippopus maculatus, a large heavy 
bivalve of the family Tridacnidce. See Hippopus. 
clam 4 (klam), n. [Cf. Dan. klemt, a tolling. 
The E. word is usually associated with clamor, 
q. v. See clam 4 ', v.~\ A ringing of all the bells 
of a chime simultaneously ; a clamor ; a clan- 
gor. [Prov. Eng.] 
Clam 4 (klam), v. i. ; pret. and pp. clammed, ppr. 
clamming. [Cf . Dan. klemtc = Sw. klamta, chime, 
toll. See the noun.] 1. To sound all the bells 
in a chime simultaneously. 2. See extract. 
[Prov. Eng.] 
Clam, to muffle a bell. See Waldron's Sad Shepherd, 
p. 167. According to some, to ring a bell irregularly or 
out of tune. Hattiwell. 
clam 5 (klam), . Same as clamp 12 , n., 1. 
clam 6 t. An obsolete variant of clamb, old pret- 
erit of climb. 
clamancet, n. [ME., < ML. clamantia, claim, < 
L. claman(t-)s, ppr. of clamare, claim: see cla- 
mant and claim 1 , v.~\ Claim. 
1024 
clamancy (klam 'an -si), n. [< clamant: see 
-cy.] Urgency j urgency arising from neces- 
sity. [Scotch.] 
clamant (klam'ant), a. [= OP. claimant, cla- 
mant (see claimant) = Pg. clumante, < L. cla- 
man(t-)s, ppr. of clamare, cry: see claim 1 , v. Cf. 
claimant.'] 1. Crying; beseeching. [Poetical.] 
A train of clamant children dear. 
Thomson, Autumn, 1. 350. 
" Behold ! " This clamant word 
Broke through the careful silence. 
Keats, Eudymion, ii. 
2. Urgent; calling for prompt attention or re- 
lief, etc.; crying: as, a very clamant case. 
The combat was merely preliminary to something great- 
er even if less clamant the contest over the American 
university question. yew Princeton Rev., I. 145. 
3. Crying for punishment or vengeance ; highly 
aggravated. [Scotch.] 
clamationt (kla-ma'shon), n. [= It. clamazione, 
< ML. clamatio(n-), < L. clamare, pp. clamatus, 
cry out: see clamant and claim 1 , v.] The act 
of crying out. 
Their iterated elamatiom. Sir T. Browne. 
Clamatores (klara-a-td'rez), n. pi. [NL., pi. 
of L. clamator, one who cries out, < clamare, 
pp. clamatus, cry out: see claim 1 , v.'] 1. In 
Cabanis's classification (1842), an order of in- 
sessorial birds, consisting of a majority of those 
non-oscine forms which had been called Pica- 
rile by Nitzsch, having ten primaries, the first 
of them well developed, and the feet neither 
zygodactyl nor anisodactyl. It was an artificial 
assemblage, and is now recognized, if at all, only in a modi- 
fied sense. The name was adapted from Andreas Wagner 
(1841). 
2f. The gallinaceous birds, or Gallinai : so called 
from the crowing or clamoring of the males, 
especially as instanced in domestic poultry. 
clamatorial (klam-a-to'ri-al), a. [< Clama- 
tores + -ial.~\ Of or pertaining to the Clama- 
' tores. 
clambt. Obsolete strong preterit of climb. 
Chaucer. 
clam-bake (klam'bak), n. A repast consisting 
chiefly of clams baked in a hole in the ground 
on a layer of stones previously heated, the hole 
being covered with seaweed, etc., during the 
process, usually as an accompaniment of a pic- 
nic at the sea-shore ; hence, a picnic of wJiich 
such a repast is the principal feature. [U. S.] 
Mya arenaria, the clam par excellence, which figures so 
largely in the celebrated New England clam-bake, is found 
in all the northern seas of the world. 
Stand. Nat. Hist., I. 280. 
clambent. Middle English preterit plural of 
climb. 
clamber (klam'ber), v. [Formerly also clam- 
mer (E. dial, clammas), < ME. clambren, clam- 
eren, climb, also heap closely together (not in 
AS. ; perhaps Scand.), = MLG. klempern, LG. 
klempern, klenimern, climb, = Icel. klambra, 
klembra = Norw. ktembra, pinch closely togeth- 
er, clamp, = Sw. dial, klammra = Dan. klamre, 
grasp firmly, = G. klammern, dial, klampfern, 
klampern, MHG. klemberen, klampferen, clamp ; 
in part from the noun represented by Icel. kldmbr 
(gen. klambrar) = Dan. klammer = G. klammer, 
dial, klampfer, klamper, an extended form of the 
noun seen in E. clamp 1 , clam 1 , with freq. climb. 
The related words are somewhat confused.] I. 
intrans. To climb, especially with difficulty or 
by using both hands and feet, as in ascending 
a steep mountain : often used figuratively. 
Lord, who shall ascend to thy tabernacle, and dwell in 
thy holy hill? David does not mean that there is no pos- 
sibility of ascending thither, or dwelling there, though it 
be hard clambering thither, and hard holding there. 
Donne, Sermons, x. 
We clambered over the broken stones cumbering the 
entrance. S. Taylor, Lands of the Saracen, p. 60. 
I turned and clambered up 
The rivulet's murmuring path. 
Bryant, Sella. 
H. trans. To ascend by climbing ; climb with 
difficulty. [Now rare.] 
Clambering the walls to eye him. Shak., Cor., ii. 1. 
clamber (klam'ber), n. [< clamber, .] The 
act of clambering or climbing with difficulty. 
Moore. 
clamber-clownt, n. A drink similar to cup, 
made of ale or beer, in use in the eighteenth 
century. 
clamber-skull (klam'ber-skul), . Very strong 
ale. [Prov. Eng.] 
clam-cod (klam'kod), . See cod 2 . 
clam-cracker (klam'krak"er), . A selachian 
of the family Myliobaticke, Bhinoptera quadri- 
clamor 
loba : so called at Savannah, Georgia, where it 
molests the oyster-beds. 
clameH, v. and . An obsolete form of claim 1 . 
clame 2 , r. t. See claim 2 . 
clamentes (kla-men'tez), . See camenes. 
clamjamfery ' (klam-jam'fe-ri), n. Same as 
clanjamfrie. 
clamm, . See cltim 1 . 
clammas 1 (klam'as), v. i. [Cf. clamber.] To 
climb. [Prov. Eng.] 
clammas 2 (klam'as), n. [Cf. clamor.] A noise ; 
a clamor. [Prov! Eng.] 
clammerH (klam'er), v. An obsolete form of 
clamber. 
clammer 2 (klam'er), n. [< clam 1 + -er 1 . 
Otherwise for clamper.] A forceps, like a pair 
of tongs, used in deep-sea soundings to obtain 
specimens from the bottom of the sea. The 
jaws are closed by means of a weight. Also 
called clam, clam-tongs. See clam 1 , 1 (/). 
clammer 11 (klam'er), . [< clam 3 + -er 1 .] One 
whose business is the digging and sale of clams. 
[Local, U. S.] 
Clammily (klam'i-li), adv. In a clammy manner. 
Wipe those poor lips of hers 
Oozing so clammily. Hood, Bridge of Sighs. 
clamminess (klam'i-nes), n. [< clammy + 
-ess.] The state of being clammy, (a) Viscous 
quality or feel ; viscosity ; stickiness ; tenacity of a soft 
substance. 
A greasy pipkin will spoil the clamminess of the glew. 
Moxon. 
(b) The state of being cold and moist to the touch. 
clamming (klam 'ing), n. [< clam 3 + -ing 1 .] 
The search for and gathering of clams. 
clamming-machine (klam'ing-ma-shen*), n. 
A machine in which an engraved and hardened 
die (intaglio) is made to rotate in contact with 
a soft steel mill, in order to make a cameo im- 
pression upon it. The mill is used to indent 
copper rollers for calico-printing. E. H. Knight. 
clammy (klam'i), a. [Extended form of earlier 
clam, with same sense : see ctom 2 , a.] 1. Vis- 
cous; adhesive; soft and sticky; glutinous; 
tenacious. 
Bodies clammy and cleaving. Bacon, Nat. Hist. 
Hence 2. Cold and moist with a sticky feel. 
Closed was his eye, and clench'd his clammy hand. 
Crabbe, Works, I. 119. 
Cold sweat, in clammy drops, his limbs o'erspread. 
Dryden. 
Under the grass, with the clammy clay, 
Lie in darkness the last year's flowers. 
Bryant, The New and the Old. 
Clammy cherry. See cherryi. 
clamor, clamour (klam'or), n. [< ME. clamour, 
< OF. qlamour, clamur, clamor, F. clameur = Pr. 
Sp. Pg. clamor = It. clamore, < L. clamor (cla- 
mor-), an outcry, < clamare, cry out : see claim 1 , 
.] 1. A great outcry; vociferation; excla- 
mation made by a loud voice continued or re- 
peated, or by a multitude of voices. 
After, rising with great ioy and clamour, they sing a 
prayer of prayse in hope hereof. 
Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 197. 
The bitter clamour of two eager tongues. 
Shak., Eich. II., i. 1. 
Interpreted it, with its multitudinous echoes and rever- 
berations, as the clamor of the fiends and night hags. 
Hawthorne, Scarlet Letter, xi. 
2. Any loud and continued noise. 
Do but start 
An echo with the clamour of thy drum. 
Shak., K. John, v. 2. 
Loud Arno's boisterous clamours. Addi-son. 
3. Figuratively, loud complaint or urgent de- 
mand j an expression of strong dissatisfaction 
or desire. 
Bycause his galyottes and offycers made suche clamoure 
for vytaylles. Sir R. Guylforde, Pylgrymage, p. 70. 
A violent clamour was . . . raised against the king by 
the priests of Debra Libanos, as having forsaken the reli- 
gious principles of his predecessors. 
Bruce, Source of the Nile, II. 533. 
= Syn. Hubbub, uproar, noise, din, ado. 
clamor, clamour (klam'or), v. [< clamor, clam- 
our, .] I. trans. 1. To utter in a loud voice ; 
shout. 
Melissa clamour'd, "Flee the death." 
Tennyson, Princess, iv. 
2f. To make a great noise with ; cause to sound 
loudly or tumultuously : used in an inverted 
sense in the following passage. 
Clamour your tongues, and not a word more. 
Shak., W. T., iv. 3. 
3f. To stun with noise ; salute with noise. 
And let them not come in multitudes, or in a tribuni- 
tious manner ; for that is to clamour councils, not to in- 
form them. Bacon, Counsel. 
