clean

clean
\ \ [OE] Etymologically, clean and German kleinsmall’ are the same word. Both go back to West Germanic *klainoz, which meant ‘clear, pure’, but whereas the English adjective has stayed fairly close to the original meaning, the German one has passed via ‘clean’, ‘neat’, ‘dainty’, and ‘delicate’ to ‘small’. It has been speculated that *klainiz was based on *klai-, which connoted ‘stickiness’ (it was the source of English clay and clammy). The reasoning is that something sticky, perhaps from a coating of oil, would have been perceived as having a clear or shiny surface, and there may also have been a suggestion of the purity conferred by a ceremonial anointing with oil. The derivatives cleanse and cleanly (whence cleanliness) are both Old English formations.
\ \ Cf.CLAMMY, CLAY, CLEANSE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • clean — clean …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • clean — [klēn] adj. [ME clene < OE clæne, clean, pure < IE * ĝ(e)lēi < base * ĝel , to gleam > OIr gel, gleaming, white, OHG kleini, gleaming, bright, fine (> Ger klein, small)] 1. a) free from dirt, contamination, impurities, etc.;… …   English World dictionary

  • clean — ► ADJECTIVE 1) free from dirt, pollutants, or harmful substances. 2) morally pure: clean living. 3) not obscene. 4) attentive to personal hygiene. 5) showing or having no record of offences or crimes: a clean driving licence. 6) played or done… …   English terms dictionary

  • Clean — (kl[=e]n), a. [Compar. {Cleaner} (kl[=e]n [ e]r); superl. {Cleanest}.] [OE. clene, AS. cl[=ae]ne; akin to OHG. chleini pure, neat, graceful, small, G. klein small, and perh. to W. glan clean, pure, bright; all perh. from a primitive, meaning… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Clean — may refer to: Music The Clean, an influential first wave punk band Clean (album), an industrial album by Deitiphobia Clean , a song by Depeche Mode from their 1990 album Violator Clean, an amplifier sound in guitar terminology Clean, an Edwin… …   Wikipedia

  • clean — adj Clean, cleanly are often confused. Clean is applied to a person or thing that is actually free from dirt; cleanly to a person or animal whose habit or tendency is to be clean; thus, one who is cleanly, though not always able to keep clean,… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • clean — clean; clean·a·bil·i·ty; clean·a·ble; clean·li·ly; clean·li·ness; clean·ness; house·clean; re·clean; un·clean; un·clean·li·ness; bio·clean; un·clean·ly; un·clean·ness; …   English syllables

  • Clean — «Clean» Canción de Depeche Mode Álbum Violator Publicación 19 de marzo de 1990 Grabación …   Wikipedia Español

  • clean — [ klin ] adj. inv. • 1978; mot angl. « propre » ♦ Anglic. fam. 1 ♦ Qui a un air propre, soigné. Une allure, un look clean. Un intérieur clean. 2 ♦ Qui est sain, net moralement. Spécialt Qui ne prend pas de drogue. Être clean (opposé à speedé) . ● …   Encyclopédie Universelle

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  • clean-up — (v.), clean up (adj.),or cleanup (n.) (1) An informal phrase used by lenders to describe a provision in loan documents, usually the promissory notes used for lines of credit. The clean up provision requires that the loan balance outstanding under …   Financial and business terms

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