What does "clarion" mean?
A medieval brass instrument chiefly used as a battle signal; related to the trumpet, it had a narrow, straight pipe and a high-pitched, piercing sound.
Clarion
/ˈklæ.ɹɪ.ən/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A medieval brass instrument chiefly used as a battle signal; related to the trumpet, it had a narrow, straight pipe and a high-pitched, piercing sound.
- Grammar: clarion is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: alpenhorn, alphorn, althorn, alto horn.
- Useful contrasts: ambiguous, apathy, equivocal.
- Usage evidence: Down through the misty vistas of the ages rings a clarion declaration and although the very heavens echo to the reverberations, but few hear and fewer understand: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." Here then is the eternal paradox. The Word is lost yet it is ever with us. The light that illumines the distant horizon shines in our hearts. "Thou wouldist not seek me hadst thou not found me." We travel afar only to find that which we hunger for at home.
How to use "clarion"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "clarion" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "clarion" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "clarion" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 A medieval brass instrument chiefly used as a battle signal; related to the trumpet, it had a narrow, straight pipe and a high-pitched, piercing sound. historical, poetic
"The clarion’s call to action has been heard."
- 2 a medieval brass instrument with a clear shrill tone wordnet
- 3 The sound of a clarion (sense 1), or any sound resembling the loud, high-pitched note of a clarion. broadly, poetic
"Others [i.e., other birds] on ground / Walk'd firm; the creſted Cock whoſe clarion ſounds / The ſilent hours, and th' other whoſe gay Traine / Adorns him, colour'd with the Florid hue / Of Rainbows and Starrie Eyes."
- 4 An organ stop consisting of pipes with reeds giving a high-pitched note like that of a clarion (sense 1). broadly
- 5 The middle register of the clarinet. broadly
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A charge thought to represent a type of wind instrument, a keyboard instrument like a spinet, or perhaps a rest used by a knight to support a lance during jousting.
Verb
- 1 To announce or herald (something) using a clarion (noun sense 1). rare, transitive
- 2 proclaim on, or as if on, a clarion wordnet
- 3 To announce or herald (something) using a clarion (noun sense 1).; To announce or herald (something) clearly, especially so as to stir or unite people. figuratively, rare, transitive
"His deep voice clarioned the words and he paused, hearing them whisper away into their last faint echoes in the organ loft."
- 4 blow the clarion wordnet
- 5 Of a thing: to cause (a place) to echo with a sound like that of a clarion. also, figuratively, rare, transitive
"Sir Knight, thy glory clarioneth the heavens."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To sound a clarion; also, to make a high-pitched, piercing sound like that of a clarion. intransitive, rare
"[T]hou, young-bodied morn, / In-ushered by the puffed winds clarioning, / No bond can bind."
Adjective
- 1 Of a sound, a voice, a message, etc.: brilliantly clear. not-comparable
"her clarion top notes"
Adjective
- 1 loud and clear wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 An unincorporated community in Bureau County, Illinois, United States.
- 2 A city, the county seat of Wright County, Iowa, United States.
- 3 A borough, the county seat of Clarion County, Pennsylvania, United States.
- 4 A ghost town in Sanpete County, Utah, United States.
- 5 A river in Pennsylvania, a tributary of the Allegheny River.
Example
"Down through the misty vistas of the ages rings a clarion declaration and although the very heavens echo to the reverberations, but few hear and fewer understand: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." Here then is the eternal paradox. The Word is lost yet it is ever with us. The light that illumines the distant horizon shines in our hearts. "Thou wouldist not seek me hadst thou not found me." We travel afar only to find that which we hunger for at home."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "clarion"?
Common synonyms include: alpenhorn, alphorn, althorn, alto horn, appeal, bagpipe.
How do you use "clarion" in a sentence?
Down through the misty vistas of the ages rings a clarion declaration and although the very heavens echo to the reverberations, but few hear and fewer understand: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." Here then is the eternal paradox. The Word is lost yet it is ever with us. The light that illumines the distant horizon shines in our hearts. "Thou wouldist not seek me hadst thou not found me." We travel afar only to find that which we hunger for at home.
How do you pronounce "clarion"?
Pronounced /ˈklæ.ɹɪ.ən/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The noun is derived from Middle English clarion, clarioun (“trumpet with a narrow tube and a shrill sound, clarion; clarion player”) [and other forms], from Old French claron, clarïon (“clarion”) [and other forms], from Medieval Latin clāriōn, clario, clārōn (“clarion; trumpet”), from Latin clārus (“audible; clear, distinct, loud; (visually) bright, clear”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to call, summon; to cry”). The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun.
Etymology 2
From Middle English clariounen (“of a horn or trumpet: to blow, sound”), from clarioun (noun) (see etymology 1) + -en (suffix forming the infinitives of verbs). Later uses may also be derived directly from the noun.