What is the Latin word for clap?

The usual Latin words for “clap” are feriō, pulsō, verberō; also plaudō, malleus, strepitus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“clap” in Latin

feriōto hit, to strike, to smite, to beat, to knock, injure; to cut, to thrust; to kill by striking, to slay, to give a death pulsōto push, strike, beat, batter, hammer; knock on; pulsate; to urge or drive on, impel, move, agitate, disturb, disquiet; verberōto lash, beat, strike; to whip, scourge, flog plaudōto strike, beat, clap; to applaud; to clap one's hands in token of approbation; to approve malleushammer, mallet; a disease of animals; the malleus, a small bone in the middle ear strepituswild din, noise, racket, crash; a measured sound fremōto murmur, mutter, grumble, growl at or after something; to complain loudly; to roar, growl, hum, rumble, buzz, howl, sn fragora breaking, shattering; a crash; an uproar crepitusa rattling, creaking, rustling, clattering; flatulence caelestiscelestial, of or in the heavens, heavenly; divine, of the gods; magnificent, preeminent, god-like

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

clap

strike, ferire; pulsare (repeatedly): verberare (whip). To clap to the door (in one’s face), fores objicere. To clap the bands together, collidere manus (violently, as an orator does): manus complodere (in approbation, for joy, grief, wonder, etc): plaudere manibus, or plaudere; manu plausum facere (to clap in token of applause). To clap a person or thing, plaudere, applaudere alicui or alicui rei; applaudere et approbare aliquid. To clap the wings, alis plaudere: alas quatere cum clangore.

To join to, addere aliquid alicui rei or ad aliquid: adjicere: aliquid alicui rei or ad aliquid: apponere alicui or ad aliquid: imponere aliquid in rem. To clap a ladder against a wall, scalam muro applicare or apponere. To clap chains upon a person, catenas alicui injicere. To clap a guard upon one, custodes alicui addere, indere. To clap a plaster on in wound, vulneri cataplasma imponere. To clap one thing upon another (fasten it), affigere aliquid alicui rei. To clap spurs to a horse, equo calcaria subdere; equum calcaribus concitare; calcaria adhibere or admovere. To ciap a man into prison, in vincula, in carcerem conjicere; in carcerem detrudere. To clap under, subdere, subjicere. To clap a lawsuit on a man’s hack, litem alicui in tendere. impingere.

clap

a sort of hammer to strike on a chisel; a mallet, malleus.

Sound, strepitus: fremitus, fragor (stronger term): plausus (especially with the hand): crepitus (with the wing). thunder-clap, caeli fragor; fragor caeli or coelestis: tonitrus (tonitrua occurs in the plur., but nowhere the sing. tonitru. Vid: Ramsh., §30, 5): fulmen (the flash of lightning together with a clap of thunder).

Mark of approbation (by clapping one’s hands), plausus. (The words are found in this connection and order), plausus clam oresque: collisae manus. ☞ Acclamatio, especially of the people at the appearance of a popular favorite: in the historians only, but in Cic. = mark of disapprobation.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for clap?: The usual Latin words for “clap” are feriō, pulsō, verberō; also plaudō, malleus, strepitus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.