Definition:
An exclamation expressing strong emotion. See also: exclamatory sentence.
Etymology:
From the Greek, "exclamation"Examples:
- "O, popular applause! what heart of man is proof against thy sweet, seducing charms?"
(William Cowper, Lessons in Life: A Series of Familiar Essays) - "Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
(William Wordsworth, "Upon Westminster Bridge") - "Almighty God!--no, no! They heard!--they suspected!--they knew!--they were making a mockery of my horror!--this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now--again!--hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!
"'Villains!' I shrieked, 'dissemble no more! I admit the deed!--tear up the planks! here, here!--It is the beating of his hideous heart!'"
(Edgar Allan Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart") - "Oh joy! Rapture! I got a brain!"
(Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, 1939) - "Humiliations galore!"
(Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, 1987) - "No! No-no-no-no-no-no! Well, yes."
(Homer Simpson of The Simpsons) - "As soon as we could see the outline of it, I said, ‘Holy mackerel, I think we have a skull!’"
(Dinosaur hunter Bruce Young on finding a triceratops fossil in Colorado, November 2003) - "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?"
(Edward G. Robinson as Cesare Enrico "Rico" Bandello in Little Caesar) - "Keep hope alive!"
(Jesse Jackson) - "I once had a leather jacket that got ruined in the rain. Why does moisture ruin leather? Aren't cows outside a lot of the time? When it's raining, do cows go up to the farmhouse: 'Let us in! We're all wearing leather! Open the door! We're going to ruin the whole outfit here!'"
(Jerry Seinfeld)
Pronunciation: ek-fo-NEE-sis
Also Known As: exclamation
