clean

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English clene, from Old English clǣne; akin to Old High German kleini delicate, dainty Date: before 12th century 1. a. free from dirt or pollution <

changed to clean clothes

> <

clean solar energy

> b. free from contamination or disease <

a clean wound

> c. free or relatively free from radioactivity <

a clean atomic explosion

> 2. a. unadulterated, pure <

the clean thrill of one's first flight

> b. of a precious stone having no interior flaws visible c. free from growth that hinders tillage <

clean farmland

> 3. a. free from moral corruption or sinister connections of any kind <

a candidate with a clean record

>; also free from violations <

a clean driving record

> b. free from offensive treatment of sexual subjects and from the use of obscenity <

a clean joke

> c. observing the rules ; fair <

a clean fight

> 4. ceremonially or spiritually pure <

and all who are clean may eat flesh — Leviticus 7:19 (Revised Standard Version)

> 5. a. thorough, complete <

a clean break with the past

> b. deftly executed ; skillful <

clean ballet technique

> c. hit beyond the reach of an opponent <

a clean single to center

> 6. a. relatively free from error or blemish ; clear; specifically legible <

clean copy

> b. unencumbered <

clean bill of sale

> 7. a. characterized by clarity and precision ; trim <

a clean prose style

> <

architecture with clean almost austere lines

> b. even, smooth <

a clean edge

> <

a sharp blow causing a clean break

> c. free from impedances to smooth flow (as of water or air) <

a clean airplane

> <

a ship with a clean bottom

> 8. a. empty <

the ship returned with a clean hold

> b. free from drug addiction <

has been clean for six months

> c. slang having no contraband (as weapons or drugs) in one's possession 9. habitually neat • cleanness noun II. adverb Date: before 12th century 1. a. so as to clean <

a new broom sweeps clean

> b. in a clean manner <

play the game clean

> 2. all the way ; completely <

the bullet went clean through his arm

> III. verb Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. a. to make clean: as (1) to rid of dirt, impurities, or extraneous matter (2) to rid of corruption <

vowing to clean up city hall

> b. remove, eradicate — usually used with up or off <

clean up that mess

> 2. a. strip, empty <

a tree cleaned of fruit

> b. to remove the entrails from <

clean fish

> c. to deprive of money or possessions — often used with out <

they cleaned him out completely

> intransitive verb to undergo or perform a process of cleaning <

clean up before dinner

> • cleanability noun • cleanable adjective IV. noun Date: circa 1889 an act of cleaning dirt especially from the surface of something