• IPA: /kliːp/

clepe (clepes, present participle cleping; past cleped, past participle cleped)

1. (intransitive, archaic or dialectal) To give a call; cry out; appeal.
2. (transitive, archaic or dialectal) To call; call upon; cry out to.
3. (transitive, archaic or dialectal) To call to oneself; invite; summon.
4. (transitive, archaic or dialectal) To call; call by the name of; name.
   • 1593, Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis, lines 995–996:

     She clepes him king of graues, & graue for kings, / Imperious ſupreme of all mortall things.

   • 1922 February, James Joyce, Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare & Co.; Sylvia Beach, OCLC 560090630 ↗; republished London: Published for the Egoist Press, London by John Rodker, Paris, October 1922, OCLC 2297483 ↗, page 369 ↗:

     And there came against the place as they stood a young learning knight yclept Dixon.

     World traveling sorcerer supreme Charles Carter, yclept Carter the Mysterious, has made a startling discovery that makes the news from Europe seem mild indeed.

5. (intransitive, now, chiefly, dialectal, often with 'on') To tell lies about; inform against (someone).
6. (intransitive, now, chiefly, dialectal) To be loquacious; tattle; gossip.
7. (transitive, now, chiefly, dialectal) To report; relate; tell.

• (call by the name of) designate, dub, name; see also Thesaurus:denominate
• (tell lies about; inform against) grass, snitch; see also Thesaurus:rat out
• (be loquacious; tattle; gossip) blab; see also Thesaurus:gossip or Thesaurus:chatter

clepe (plural clepes)

1. (now, chiefly, dialectal) A cry; an appeal; a call.