Vociferance

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of making loud, insistent, and forceful demands or complaints with considerable noise and intensity
2. The quality of expressing oneself in a loud and forceful manner that demands attention while spilling forth numerous complaints or assertions
3. A state characterized by vocal intensity that emphasizes strong grievances or demands in a noisy and emphatic way

Etymology: "Vociferance" is a rare English noun built on the Latin verb "vociferari," meaning "to shout." That verb joins "vox," "voice," with "ferre," "to carry," so the literal sense is something like "carrying the voice" or "bearing a shout." The same root gives English "vociferous," which describes someone who is loud and insistent, and the noun names the quality or state of that loud insistence. The chain runs through Latin rather than through any Greek or French intermediary. Latin "vociferari" produced the adjective "vociferus," and English speakers formed "vociferous" and later the noun from that Latin base. Because the noun ends in "-ance," it follows the pattern of many English nouns that name a condition or manner, such as "resonance" or "vigilance."

Synonyms: noisiness, clamor, shouting

Antonyms: silence, quiet, calm