“Clepe” comes from Old English “clyppan” and appears in medieval poetry (e.g., Chaucer) as a formal verb for naming or summoning. It lends archaic dignity to invocations or epithets (“he cleped him Lionheart”). Though replaced by “call,” its use in verse preserves linguistic heritage and enhances ceremonial or mythic tone, especially in genealogies, prophecies, or allegorical naming.

Clepe (also ycleped/yclept in past tense) appears mainly in Chaucer and medieval romances. The "y-" prefix in yclept is an archaic past participle marker from Old English. Chaucer uses "men clepen" (men call) frequently. By Shakespeare's time, clepe was already archaic, used mainly for medieval effect. The construction typically follows "he was cleped [name]" or "that men clepen [name]." For students, recognizing clepe helps with Chaucerian and medieval texts. In later poetry, using clepe or yclept signals deliberate medievalism, as in Spenser's archaizing or 19th-century Arthurian revivals. The term essentially disappeared after 1500 except as conscious archaism.