From Middle English claimen, borrowed from Old French clamer, from Latin clamo, from itc-pro *klāmāō, from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁-, which is imitative.

See also Lithuanian kalba, Old English hlōwan, Old High German halan, Ancient Greek καλέω, κλέδον ("report, fame"), κέλαδος ("noise"), Middle Irish cailech, Latin calō, Sanskrit उषःकल. Cognate with Spanish llamar and clamar.

• IPA: /kleɪm/

claim (plural claims)

1. A demand of ownership made for something.

   a claim of ownership

   a claim of victory

2. The thing claimed.
3. The right or ground of demanding.

   You don't have any claim on my time, since I'm no longer your employee.

4. A new statement of something one believes to be the truth, usually when the statement has yet to be verified or without valid evidence provided.

   The company's share price dropped amid claims of accounting fraud.

5. A demand of ownership for previously unowned land.

   Miners had to stake their claims during the gold rush.

6. (legal) A legal demand for compensation or damages.

• French: réclamation
• German: Anspruch
• Italian: reclamo, rivendicazione
• Portuguese: reivindicação, reclamo
• Russian: прете́нзия
• Spanish: reclamación, declaración, proposición, afirmación, reivindicación, pretensión

• French: titre
• German: Rechtstitel, Anspruch
• Italian: diritto

• French: affirmation
• German: Behauptung
• Italian: dichiarazione, affermazione
• Portuguese: afirmação, alegação
• Russian: заявле́ние
• Spanish: afirmación

• French: réclamation, revendication
• German: Anspruch, Mutung mining
• Italian: reclamo di proprietà
• Portuguese: reivindicação
• Russian: прете́нзия
• Spanish: concesión

• French: réclamation, demande
• German: Anspruch
• Portuguese: reclamação
• Russian: иск
• Spanish: demanda

claim (claims, present participle claiming; simple past and past participle claimed)

1. To demand ownership of.
2. To state a new fact, typically without providing evidence to prove it is true.
3. To demand ownership or right to use for land.
4. (legal) To demand compensation or damages through the courts.
5. (intransitive) To be entitled to anything; to deduce a right or title; to have a claim.
   • 1689 December (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 1, in Two Treatises of Government: […], London: […] Awnsham Churchill, […], →OCLC ↗:

     We must know how the first ruler, from whom any one claims, came by his authority, upon what ground any one has empire

6. To cause the loss of.

   The attacks claimed the lives of five people.

   A fire claimed two homes.

7. To win as a prize in a sport or competition.

   He claimed $100 after winning the top spot.

8. (obsolete) To proclaim.
9. (archaic) To call or name.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC ↗:

     Nor all, that else through all the world is named […] / Might like to this be clamed.

• French: revendiquer
• German: beanspruchen
• Italian: reclamare, rivendicare, vantare
• Portuguese: reivindicar, reclamar
• Russian: претендова́ть
• Spanish: reclamar, clamar, reivindicar

• French: prétendre
• German: behaupten
• Italian: dichiarare, affermare
• Portuguese: alegar, afirmar
• Russian: объявля́ть
• Spanish: afirmar, pretender

• German: beanspruchen
• Italian: reclamare la proprietà, reclamare il possesso
• Portuguese: reivindicar
• Russian: претендовать (на)

• Russian: требовать выплата
• Spanish: demandar

• claimable
• claimant
• claimer
• disclaim
• disclaimer