- claim (v.)
- c.1300, from accented stem of Old French clamer "to call, claim, name, describe," from Latin clamare "to cry out, shout, proclaim," from PIE *kele- (2) "to shout," imitative (cf. Sanskrit usakala "cock," literally "dawn-calling;" Latin calare "to announce solemnly, call out;" Middle Irish cailech "cock;" Greek kalein "to call," kelados "noise," kledon "report, fame;" Old High German halan "to call;" Old English hlowan "to low, make a noise like a cow;" Lithuanian kalba "language"). Related: Claimed; claiming. Claim properly should not stray too far from its true meaning of "to demand recognition of a right."
- claim (n.)
- early 14c., from Old French claime, from clamer (see claim (v.)). Meaning "piece of land allotted and taken" (chiefly U.S. and Australia, in reference to mining) is from 1851. Insurance sense is from 1878.